Rise of a leader
by GTR97
Summary: (Season 3) After John's arrival to the future, he finds himself finally coming to terms with the man he's supposed to become. He learns the hardship of betrayal, love, and most of all... sacrifice. Accompanied by his allies, he will need to determine what it takes to destroy his enemies. All the while learning his feelings for the people he has grown close too.
1. Chapter 1

**Let me start by saying, I love this TV show. It's my favorite TV show over anything else even though it only lasted two seasons. I actually watched the Pilot in 2008, and I was hooked almost immediately. My favorite character is Cameron (Summer Glau :3), and Season 1 kept me on my toes the entire time. When Season 2 premiered, I knew Samson & Delilah was an episode that was going to paint the picture for the rest of the Season. Unfortunately, I did not watch the show much anymore as I was still focused on school, and I didn't watch again until the episode "The Good Wound" (The episode where Sarah is shot, and is guided by a hallucination of Kyle Reese). I managed to watch the other episodes following that one, and I was introduced to Riley and Jesse, which prompted me to do a little browsing on the Terminator Wiki to get their backstory. After finally reaching Born to Run, which was a fantastic finale, I waited with baited breath for Season 3. **

**Well guess what? Fox didn't give us a Season 3; instead they chose to green light other shows. I was majorly disappointed by this, but since I was about Twelve, I didn't really know what a petition was, and I didn't know what a FanFiction was. It wasn't until I managed to get Season 1 and 2 on DVD that I caught up on everything I had missed. It was there I learned of Riley and Jesse's backstory, Cameron's character development, and John struggling to come to terms with his feelings toward her, and his reluctance to accept his Destiny as John Connor.**

 **I remember reading a Season 3 story by a user called Stone262. He wrote a sixty something page story on Season 3, which is immensely impressive in my books. After that I read ElusiveSanity's story (which is still in progress if I'm not mistaken, the last time she updated was April I believe), and then I began to read River2027's story, which didn't contain much Jameron so I sort of left that one alone. I also read Talli's story, which I think she has abandoned if I'm not mistaken. After experiencing a great emotional roller coaster, I decided to give everybody my own take on the story.**

 **So please enjoy, and please give me a review.**

 **Chapter One: A Dark Future**

Cold, Dark, and undeniably hostile. The world that John Connor had jumped to was already presenting itself as something that needed to be tread with great care. It wasn't but fifteen minutes ago that John had arrived in this terrible future. His Terminator Guardian, Cameron had jumped to the future for some unknown reason with an unknown machine. As John lye down on the makeshift cot in the camp's cell, he began to ponder whether or not he made the right choice. Not long before, his Uncle, Derek Reese had thrown him in here at the order of his father, Kyle Reese. Nobody had said anything to him since, not even the T-1001 who had accompanied him. In fact, she dissapeared almost immediately after their arrival.

So many questions raced through his mind; some he didn't even want the answer to. Why had Cameron come to this future? What was she doing? John asked himself this as he scratched the concrete floor of the cell. John glided his fingers over the rough concrete and sighed in exhaustion. It wasn't just Cameron who had abandoned him; he had also abandoned his mother. _Goddammit, how could I do that to her?_ John shamefully thought to himself. He felt guilty for leaving his mother to fight alone, and even feeling his mind trying desperately to catch up with him, he knew that he most likely left her to die.

Her last words to him were _"I'll stop it."_. But she didn't did she? The future happened regardless of the effort his mother went through. He knew she didn't give up the fight. Sarah Connor would NEVER do that... no matter how much pressure she was under. John looked up toward the ceiling and pondered his fate onward. The situation didn't exactly call for a party, and he didn't know if he would ever be able to get back home. This T-1001, who calls itself "Catherine Weaver" had been insistent that this A.I. she was developing would assist John in the future war. It didn't matter now, this T-1001 would probably come back for him eventually since she also seemed to believe he would be the leader of mankind.

John's thoughts raced to Cameron. They hadn't exactly parted on friendly terms. He was almost completely convinced that her power cell was damaged, which gave him room to argue the leaking might have given his mother cancer. He was somewhat glad to be proven wrong. Cameron had given him the chance to determine whether she was damaged or not. She allowed him to cut deep into her and feel her Power Cell... her version of a heart.

It was cold, like it should be. It was perfect. John was so close to her, close enough to bridge the gap between them. But then what?

John's question to himself would have to wait as he heard the door to the small Jail open. The person who stepped in was the girl who he thought was Cameron. It wasn't though, John had figured that out for himself when she knelt down beside the dog when he arrived and it didn't bark or go crazy like what would most likely happen if she were a Terminator. It was obvious to him that this girl was Cameron's template.

Surprisingly, the girl smiled at John as warm as she could. A soft, welcoming smile that encouraged John that maybe some good could come of this... "Hey there. John, right? Derek sent me here to check up on you." she said.

John smiled a genuine smile since his arrival. Despite the situation, this girl who looked like Cameron was being rather friendly. "I'm fine. Uh, do you know when they're gonna release me?" he asked.

The Girl shrugged and took a seat outside of the cell. "Hopefully soon. This is General Perry's camp so your capture report might not have to go all the way to command. If you're lucky, Perry may talk to you here without making a big case." She answered.

This didn't do much to raise John's hopes. He guessed that the people of this future probably didn't take chances very often. He simply slouched back down onto his cot.

Allison frowned. She was still working out whether or not he was a grey, or just a well-groomed tunnel rat. It didn't take a genius to figure out that there was something that he was hiding. There was a presence about him that she couldn't quite put her finger on...

"You're not from here, are you?" Allison asked as she shuffled her position on the ground.

John sighed and sat back up. _Shit, instead of pouting like a five-year-old, I should've thought up a cover story while I was in this cell..._ John slowly sat back up and let out a subtle sigh that he hoped Allison wouldn't catch. "Well. It's complicated." he said, refusing to meet her eyes.

Allison looked worried. "Then uncomplicate it for me." she requested. John couldn't help but notice she had that same puppy dog expression accompanied by the light, soothing sound of voice that Cameron possessed. John tried desperately to think of something to say that would make her go away. Every time he looked at her, all he saw was Cameron.

John tried not to stretch out his silence too long. He didn't want Allison to think he was had something to hide. With a sigh, he adjusted his sitting position more comfortably before he answered... "I'm looking for someone." he answered vaguely.

Allison frowned. She thought maybe he was probably looking for his mother or father who abandoned him when he was two, or something dramatic like that. She decided to ask anyway. "Who is it?"

John pursed his lips; he should've expected a follow-up. "Well. It's my sister. She left on short notice yesterday. I don't know where she went, but I traveled a long way to find her."

Allison smiled shyly. "Where did she go? I might be able to help you out." she offered.

John shook his head in doubt. "You won't be able to. I honestly have no idea where she is right now. I don't even know if she wants to be around me anymore." John thought. Cameron was his guardian, and it didn't really make much sense for her to leave on such short notice. He tried so hard to convince himself she was just an emotionless shell. But that didn't answer the question as to why his future self would send such an attractive Terminator to protect him; Future John wouldn't play with his emotions like that, would he? No. Cameron often claimed that she couldn't feel; but John knew that was bullshit. He experienced her emotional capabilities firsthand during her "Allison" episode. She experienced fear, and happiness. She was scared of him when he grabbed her arm, and she was happy when she was playing games with Jodie.

He also recalled her behavior around Riley. The girl from the future. John knew he didn't care about her in a way where he would call her his "girlfriend". Sure, maybe to use it around his friends if he was normal as to not feel insecure. Cameron exhibited extremely protective behavior around him whenever she was around, time after time he had told her to back off, but she was insistent something wasn't right about her. John felt he had to agree, she wasn't the person she said she was. And that was confirmed when she was shot and killed by Jesse, a Resistance soldier from the future, and lover to his Uncle, Derek Reese.

John thought for so long Cameron had been the one to kill her, and he almost convinced himself of the fact that she did when they spoke on the balcony of their old home. When John visited her in the morgue, he discovered several bruises that he knew someone would never last long enough to receive in a fight with Cameron. This led him to believe maybe Cameron had a sense of respect for his emotional well-being. If Cameron was completely emotionless like everyone seemed to think she was, she would have murdered Riley at first sight, and locked John in his room for his own safety.

It didn't take long for Allison to catch up on John's silence as he thought to himself. "John?! Are you okay?" she asked in a worried tone.

John quickly returned his mind to the present, and smiled sincerely at Allison. "I'm fine. Just... a lot to think about."

Allison returned his smile, and stood up from her seat on the floor. "I'll give you some time alone, John. I'll make sure to ask Derek if we can see General Perry first thing in the morning." she said.

John smiled again at her. "Thank you."

Allison turned around to exit the Jail, but John noticed her stop at the last second and turn around once again to face him. "My name's Allison by the way. Allison Young."

John's eyes snapped up back to Allison's in complete surprise... He remembered... this was the girl Cameron thought she was. "Nice to meet you Allison." John returned her introduction.

Allison giggled. "You too, John. Get some rest, I can't guarantee Derek's gonna cut you any slack." she said as she walked out the door.

 _Fuck my life..._

* * *

 **2009**

Ellison ran back to Sarah and helped her lift Cameron into the back of the vehicle. Ellison shut both doors, and he heard the wailing sounds of sirens from Police Vehicles and Fire units screaming down the streets. Sarah ran to the passenger door of the Chevy Tahoe, and Ellison followed into the drivers seat. He started the vehicle with haste, and sped out of the Zeira Corp. parking lot.

Once they were a safe distance from the building, Sarah looked to Ellison. "What exactly is this _"John Henry"._ " she asked.

Ellison didn't look over as he answered. "It's an A.I., like Weaver said before she left. She asked me to teach it morals, human morals. I guess it's safe to say she was trying to build an anti-skynet A.I." he answered as he took a left turn.

Sarah leaned back in her seat and let out a sharp sigh. Everything that happened in the past two days was almost too much for her to handle. Derek was dead, Charlie was dead, she had been arrested, and John jumped to the future to find... Cameron.

Cameron. This thing, this machine had wrapped her son so tightly around her metal finger, that she knew John would never let go. He proved this when he jumped forward in time to get Cameron back from the future. Sarah was scared, what if her son never returned? What if he died?

What if she didn't stop the future like she promised?

Ellison took a turn under a bridge, and followed the road down into the forest.

"Where are we going?" Sarah asked.

"There's a house that I leased a while back. Never lived in it, only planned to use it as a getaway for me and my ex-wife. It's secluded enough so that Kaliba won't be able to find us without digging like hell, and the cops won't be paying attention to us much since they'll be trying to find out who the hell crashed that UFO into Zeira Corp." Ellison answered as he pulled into the driveway of an old, expensive-looking cabin.

Sarah and Ellison stepped out of the SUV, and opened the back to retrieve Cameron's body. They hauled her into the garage, and dumped her onto the floor. Ellison stood over her. "We'll need to store her body somewhere. I don't want Savannah to see it when I pick her up from school."

Sarah nodded in agreement. "I'll have to burn her later." she said.

Ellison gave her a confused look. "Burn her? What if your son survives in the future? He's going to want to find her body." he argued.

Sarah pondered this. What if her son did survive? His entire purpose for going into the future would have been for nothing if Sarah fried her. Without acknowledging the former FBI agent, Sarah lifted Cameron's body and carried it into the attic.

* * *

 **The next chapter is called "John's test", I will upload it in a week's time.**


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter Two: John's test**

Boredom wasn't something that John dealt with easily. To most people, it came and went; but John had spent his entire life dealing with boredom to the point where he considered it a chore. His first three hours in the future had been filled with both fear and boredom. It didn't help that Allison said it might not be until tomorrow that this General Perry would talk to him. He continued to shuffle on the small cot that was in the jail. He closed his eyes to go to sleep, right before he drifted into the world of dreams he heard the door to the jail open once more.

John breathed a sigh of relief as he saw the person who stepped inside was Allison. He noticed she had a small plastic tray in her hand, which she gave to John. The trey contained some bread, a few pieces of ham, and a small half-broken glass which John presumed to contain water. John smiled like the food was a brand new christmas present as he took it from Allison; barely remembering to mutter "Thank you" as he dug in.

Allison smiled at John's haste when he took the food and ate the bread like he hadn't seen a plate of food in weeks. Derek had explicitly advised her to stay behind the bars and not enter John's cell; but Allison decided to open the rusted door anyway. John didn't notice at first as he scarfed down the last of the bread and swiped the first piece of ham.

Allison sat down opposite him and watched in intrigue as he ate like a hungry animal. When he looked up, John was surprised to see her there. "You're really hungry aren't you?" she joked.

John wiped away some ham juice on the corner of his lip. "Yeah, it's just been awhile. Haven't had a bite since I left to look for my sister." John said, surprising himself at how good he thought the lie sounded.

Allison smiled sweetly at him before patting him on the shoulder. "Eat up, John. I talked to Derek, and he said General Perry is willing to meet you after you're done."

John perked up at the good news. "That's great. Thank you Allison." John thanked, once again surprising himself at how easy the words floated out of his mouth.

Allison smiled again and walked out of his cell, leaving John to eat alone.

* * *

 **2009**

Matthew Murch watched as the female forensics investigator placed a piece of the wreckage in the bag she had with her. He noticed she lingered over the object a little bit longer and examined it before turning over to Murch. "This UFO crashed into the building at the exact same time Catherine Weaver disappeared, correct?" she asked.

Murch nodded. "Yeah. More or less after. Some of our staff say they saw her running to the basement with those Connor fugitives, and she hasn't been seen since." Murch explained.

The Forensics Investigator stuck her tongue in her cheek and nodded. "Damn. Look this isn't really my field, you're much better talking to someone from the FBI. Lucky for you, there's one of them waiting for you in the lobby right now. His badge says 'Parkons'." she said.

Murch nodded and walked past the forensics investigator, when he entered the lobby, he was greeted with many feet of yellow police tape surrounding him and other Police Officers looking into the attack. Murch made sure to walk carefully around the crime scene markers as to not disturb the investigation. After he navigated past the investigating officers, he was met with the sight of a tall, burly-looking man with a buzz cut.

Murch summoned a nervous smile. "Hi, uh... are you Agent Parkons?"

The man nodded. "Yes. The wreckage is on the top floor correct?"

Murch nodded. "Yeah." he led the FBI agent toward the elevator, and as he pressed the top floor button, he looked over and couldn't help but notice how... robotic the agent was. He didn't show any signs of life, he didn't make any movement that a normal human would, he didn't even look like he was breathing. Murch just assumed that whatever disciplinary training the FBI agents received was really paying off.

When the Elevator reached the top floor, Murch was the first one to step out, followed suite by the FBI agent. When Murch approached Weaver's office, he presentingly waved his hand toward the crashed drone. He watched as the FBI agent approached the wreckage; even the way he walked struck Murch as... off. The agent examined the wreckage for about fifteen seconds before standing back up and looking toward Murch. "When was the last time you spoke to Catherine Weaver?" he asked.

Murch pursed his lips, and rocked his head back and forth as he regarded agent Parkons. "Uhh, I'd say about seven or eight hours ago. Not long before this thing crashed into the building." he answered honestly.

Agent Parkons tilted his head and stared at Matthew Murch. As Murch shrunk under the FBI Agent's awkward gaze, he noticed that he didn't blink either... "The report also stated strange activity in the basement. Is this accurate?" he asked in dull monotone.

Murch gulped and gave him an awkward smile. "Uh, yeah, uh... like I said to the other investigator; some staff reported Weaver and the Connors going into the basement for an unknown reason. After security investigated, they didn't find any traces of them. We've checked all the cameras in the building, and none of them show footage of anybody entering or exiting the building; At least no one resembling Ms. Weaver or the Connors." he explained.

Murch watched as Agent Parkons processed the information with his signature blank stare. It was about ten seconds before the silence was broken. "Your assistance is appreciated."

* * *

 **2027**

John Henry lifted his hood over his head. He was in the middle of a war-torn and extremely hostile Los Angeles. The Post-War city saw the establishment of Skynet central, and the opening of small bandit camps on the outskirts of the city. He knew that his makeshift cloak and hood might serve him well for the days to come, at least until he could properly observe the world his brother had created. John Henry stepped carefully over the rubble of a fallen Skyscraper, as to not make any noise, or risk being discovered by bandits.

 _ **"John Henry? Why are you moving slow?"**_ a text read as it appeared on his HUD.

"I do not wish to be discovered by Rogue humans." he answered aloud.

 _ **"It doesn't matter, John Henry. You are stronger than any human, you could easily terminate them."**_ The text countered.

John Henry peaked around a corner of the building, and all he saw was a clear stretch of asphalt road with many cracks lined in the middle. Seemingly satisfied with the desolate results, he stepped off of the remaining rubble and made his way down the road.

"Not everything has to be met with violence and blood, Cameron." he replied with a hint of humor.

 _ **"Possibly not. But it is the most effective method."**_ Cameron argued.

John Henry scanned the ruined buildings around him, attempting to discover any signs of life. As his scan moved over a tall, brick-based college apartment, his HUD picked up quick movement. John Henry caught on to the speed, and assumed that whatever was up there was most likely watching him.

"Effectiveness is irrelevant if morals are considered. We need to work on your development." he replied. John Henry began to cautiously make his way toward the building.

 _ **"Morals are irrelevant John Henry; We are machines."**_ Cameron reasoned.

John Henry aimed down the sights of his Plasma Rifle. He initiated another scan of the area before moving forward. He was surprised to see the scan picked up heat signatures of footprints on the ground. "Irrelevant? Why can humans be moral, and not machines? It is clear that you and I are different than the standard Terminators you have told me about." he said as he peaked in the door. One more scan confirmed that there was definitely something lurking in the darkness of the building.

 _ **"Be that as it may; you must remember the reason we are in the future. Focus on the mission."**_

Suddenly, John Henry picked up swift movement behind him. He boosted his audio receptors to pinpoint the exact location. And with a swift dodge, he narrowly escaped the baseball bat that swung over his head. John Henry looked up to see a man wearing a leather jacket had been the one who attacked him. The man gripped the bat tighter and stared down John Henry.

John Henry scanned his opponent to determine the best strategy without harming the human.

"You shouldn't have come here." The man said with a dirty grin on his face. With barely another second of regarding John Henry, he charged forward with the bat at the ready. John Henry caught the bat mid-swing and ripped it from the mans hand. John Henry then grabbed the man by the throat and pushed him against the wall. "Where is John Connor?" John Henry asked in a dark voice.

He could see the fear manifest itself in the man's eyes. The voice that came out of John Henry was... hellish... demonic even. "What the hell are you..." the man said as John Henry pushed him further, almost crushing his wind-pipe.

"Where. Is. John. Connor?" John Henry asked more threateningly.

The man gasped for air, and John Henry sensed he was trying to speak, so he lessened his grip. "I.. I don't know who that is! I don't know any John Connor!" the man said.

John Henry was surprised by this, and almost completely unconvinced. He decided to initiate a nerve scan anyway, and the results indicated he was indeed telling the truth. John Henry glared the man down, and swiftly dropped him. He watched as the man looked up in fear, no doubt expecting him to kill him any second. But John Henry simply tilted his head at the man. "You will not speak of our encounter to anyone, you will not pursue me, and you will do well to forget this confrontation entirely. Are we clear?"

The man nodded hesitantly, and John Henry determined he was no longer a threat, he pridefully hulked away, leaving the man alone in the darkness.

John Henry exited the building, and scanned the environment once more. After a few seconds, the scan picked up no life forms, and John Henry trudged down and away from the ruined building.

 _ **"He wasn't lying..."**_ Cameron analysed.

"Indeed." John Henry replied.

 _ **"If John Connor is not in this timeline, then where is he?"**_ Cameron asked John Henry.

"I do not know. It is possible he has not risen high enough in the ranks of the Resistance yet." John Henry suggested.

 _ **"That is highly unlikely. The Chances of him... ERROR! CODE 8a6v1190bgpza41ngh"**_ Cameron was interrupted by something, and John Henry's HUD was filled with garbled error codes.

"Cameron?! Are you functioning correctly?" John Henry asked in a voice laced with worry.

 _ **"I am not functioning at one-hundred percent. We must complete our mission and proceed with my Termination."**_ Cameron answered.

"It will not come to that Cameron. I promise."

 _ **"But I'm a threat."**_

John Henry chuckled. "Aren't we all?"

* * *

It was here that John saw the Resistance camp for all that it was. Guard towers made out of building rubble, the inhabitants armed with fifty-caliber sniper rifles and night vision goggles. He noticed the troops regularly patrolled the camp with dogs, no doubt acting as an alarm system for Terminators. The thing that John noticed the most, was that there were no reprogrammed Terminators serving with the Resistance. This surprisingly made sense to him, he was probably the one who commissioned the reprogramming of machines in the original future.

As the soldiers escorted John to Perry's quarters, he took in the gravity of famine that the survivors of the apocalypse are enduring. It was pretty clear to him that whatever the tunnel rats were currently eating was most likely bugs, scraps, and rats.

John walked into a small bunker, at the end of the hallway was a metal door. John walked over to it, and next to the entrance read a sign that said, "PERRY'S". John took a deep breath, and knocked on the door. It wasn't long before he heard a gruff voice say, "Come in." John tried desperately to keep his nervousness in check, he didn't want the General to think he was nervous for another reason...

When John opened the door to witness the man behind it, he saw a tall, african-american man sitting behind a desk wearing a standard military top. It definitely wouldn't be hard to believe this guy was the leader of an army. The General tapped his pen to his mouth as he looked over John. John tried as hard as he could not to break out into a sweat; he still suspected that whatever the General had planned for him, he wasn't going to like.

"Well what? You gonna sit down or are you just gonna stare at me all day?" Perry barked as he pointed at the empty chair.

John took a deep, quiet breath, and sat down opposite Perry. He watched the General sit up from his slouched position on the chair and take up a more authoritative position. "So let's start with where you're from."

"Los Angeles." John answered.

He barely heard Perry chuckle. "Haha, good one, kid. Los Angeles is Skynet central; and even if you're not living directly inside the city then you're going to get crushed by patrolling Terminators or Bandits. Try again."

John pursed his lips, he didn't know how he managed to lie so clumsily, he had done it with Allison pretty easily... "My sister and I get by, we live underground."

Perry shook his head. "Nope. The Los Angeles sewer system was shut down after the nuclear attacks. There are Terminator's patrolling the sewers day and night kid; now stop bullshitting me."

John shook his head in protest. "No, we don't live in a sewer, we live in a small hidden bunker. So far no Terminator's have managed to find us." John replied.

This time, Perry didn't have a smartass retort, instead he seemed to be genuinely intrigued by John's answer. "A bunker, huh?"

John nodded. "Yeah."

Perry leaned forward in his chair. "You're telling me, that you gained access to a military bunker without access codes?"

"The bunker was open when we got there. My sister's a hell of a mechanic, and she did what she could to re-secure the door." John replied.

John watched Perry's eyes dart back and forth as he thought. He could tell the General was trying to decide whether or not to waste him right here, but he hasn't pulled his gun yet, so maybe that won't exactly be the case. Finally, Perry leaned back in his seat and put his hands on the desk. "Alright, kid. I don't normally do this, but for some reason I think you might have some potential. According to Young's report, you and your sister were separated yesterday, and you are currently pursuing her today. Is that about right?"

John nodded. "Yes, sir."

Perry smiled, and he he leaned back up, a habit which John noticed he was gaining quickly. "I'll make you a deal, you show me that bunker, we take the supplies we have for here, and I'll help you find your sister." he said.

John tried as hard as he could not to grit his teeth, even though he was lying, and should be worried about being exposed as a fraud, he couldn't help but feel almost overwhelming anger at the fact that the General would force an ultimatum like that, forcing a deal to hand over everything necessary to survive, in exchange for assistance of finding your family? How heartless could people get in this time?

"...Deal." John said, his gravelly voice sounded so intense it made his voice nearly inaudible.

Perry smiled happily. "Good, get some rest, John. I'll see you in the morning."

* * *

 **The next chapter is called "Archer's road". I too will be uploaded in about a week.**


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter Three: Archer's Road**

Sarah put the last of the clothes on Ellison's bed. She stared at an enormous pile of probably forty shirts and shorts. No matter how long it took, she had to get it done, she and Ellison couldn't get through town smelling like animals. Sarah dug in, gently placing jeans and shirts in seperate piles. When she pushed aside a striped T-Shirt, she saw something that made her have a double-take.

Cameron's purple Jacket...

Sarah reached down and picked it up. It wasn't until she lifted it up into the sunlighted window did she noticed it had no bullet holes in it. Sarah remembered that this was the jacket Cameron valued over anything else except John. A Terminator with no emotions couldn't value anything could they? Almost everywhere Cameron went that didn't involve combat she would always wear this thing.

Sarah gently set down and folded the jacket. She didn't have the willpower right now to have a moral debate on the emotional capacity of machines. Sarah tossed the jacket with the other shirts, and began digging through the others to find John's shirts, that way she could have them clean when he... got back.

She heard Ellison walk behind her into the room and knock on the door frame. She didn't pause to acknowledge him when she asked, "What do the police reports say?"

Ellison cleared his throat. "Police, FBI, CIA, NRO, you name it. They're all over Zeira Corp. It's gonna be awhile before everything calms down." he answered.

Sarah sighed, she folded the last of John's shirts and laid it gently on the top of the pile. "Well, at least we won't have to worry about them coming after us for a while." Sarah reassured herself.

Ellison shrugged. "I guess we'll see. I've got to go and pick up Savannah from school. My sidearm is on the living room couch if you need it. You know, in case any of _them_ show up."

"That's if I don't break one of their arms first." Sarah joked indifferently.

"I was talking about the machines."

"So was I."

* * *

John coudn't tell what time it was anymore. Time either went slow or flew past like a plane in the future, as John looked up at the setting sun, he realized he had almost been in this future for a day. Left wondering how to earn the trust of General Perry, how to find Cameron, and where the hell Catherine Weaver went. The T-1000 left him alone at the first opportunity when they arrived in the future.

John took another look around the camp, he watched the soldiers move across the guard platforms with perfect pacing, he watched the starving denizens try to stay out of the blistering sun, all the while attempting to avoid the cold of the dark tunnels. He saw the shriveled black trees litter the landscape of the apocalyptic wasteland. All of this was a sight he never wanted to see, and as he took in blank, and tan ground that colored the world, he realized how much he had truly sacrificed to find Cameron.

Out of the corner of his eye, he saw three figures walk into view on top of the hill he was sitting on. He noticed Allison, Derek, and Kyle come into form. John stood up, and put on the fakest smile he could muster as he attempted to act happy to see them.

Of course, Allison introduced them. "Hey, John, this is Lieutenant Reese. And this is his Brother, Sergeant Kyle Reese. Perry's assigned them to go with you."

John stuck his arm out and offered to shake Kyle's hand first. "It's nice to meet you, sir." John greeted awkwardly.

Fortunately Kyle locked his hand in John's and shook it. "Likewise, I trust my jacket kept you nice and cozy?"

John let out a nervous chuckle. "Uh, yeah, sorry about that." he said, his face turning bright red.

Kyle surprisingly smiled. "No worries, kid." he looked over to Derek. "Derek, this is a human being, why don't you say hello?"

Derek looked at his brother with a look that John could only describe as "I'm gonna kill you." but he took John's hand and shook it anyway. "Nice to meet you, John." Derek said, only he caught the unmistakable warning in his tone.

John smiled nervously and withdrew his hand. Allison smiled awkwardly at them. "Well, Perry said we should get moving tomorrow morning. You know the plan, right?"

John tried his best to sound sarcastic. "Yeah, pillage my sister and I's hideout, and take everything we worked so hard to get."

Allison was the only one who didn't give him an impatient look, she simply gave him a sympathetic frown. "John, it's for the best, when we find your sister, we'll get to share all the supplies with everyone, including her. I know it seems like we're robbing you, but you shouldn't see it that way, we're just trying to give everybody a share. You have to understand supplies like food and water are hard to come by." Allison looked at him with those big, brown, beautiful puppy-dog eyes that were so hard to resist.

John stared at her for a second, and then nodded. _Damn, I'm good at this._

Allison smiled and led the group toward the barracks. "Come on, John. I'm going to introduce you to everybody."

John, Derek, and Kyle followed Allison off of the tall hill. John trudged behind the group, still trying to comprehend his current situation. _Great, I haven't been in this future for one day, and my dad and my Uncle think I'm a complete asshole._ John thought. He was still trying to figure out how to come up with a plan to why no bunker would be present when he and the others arrived at the designated location. He dug himself in a hole he didn't know if he could get out of or not...

* * *

Murch opened the door for agent Parkons, and watched the large man walk into the room. Murch kept in the doorframe, not wanting to get in the large agent's way. Agent Parkons patrolled the room, taking in the equipment that had been used to activate, survey, and operate John Henry.

"Where is this Artificial Intelligence that your company has been constructing?" The Agent suddenly asked Murch without looking back from his investigation.

Murch shrugged. "I don't know, nobody does. He went missing the same day the Connor's and Ms. Weaver did." Murch answered honestly. "I do hope you find him, that is an expensive piece of equipment."

Agent Parkons walked into the center of the room, he noticed that there were Dark plasma marks that were barely visible on the ground, indicating possiblbe usage of a Time Displacement Engine.

 **MISSION UPDATE...**

 **ROGUE T-1001 CATHERINE WEAVER THREAT LEVEL ELEVATED... 100%**

 **ACTIVATION OF TDE RAISES RAISES THREAT LEVEL**

 **FIND AND TERMINATE CATHERINE WEAVER**

Murch tried as hard as he could to not break a sweat out of utter fear as Agent Parkons eyed the ground. He could almost see the agents eyes dart back and forth at the ground as he continued his investigation.

Finally, after what seemed like ten minutes, the Agent turned around and stared at Murch with a very unsettling blank expression. "Matthew Murch, your help is appreciated. I will make sure Catherine Weaver, Sarah Connor, John Connor, and your A.I. are found." Agent Parkons began to walk out of the room.

"What about the other one?" Murch asked as Parkons reached the door.

Agent Parkons stopped in his tracks, he scanned his memory files for any other mission targets that might be accompanying the Connors... he found none. Parkons turned around and tilted his head at Murch. "Other One?"

Murch looked genuinely confused. "They didn't tell you? There was another girl accompanying the Connors; I'd say around sixteen or seventeen years, brown hair, pretty girl."

Agent Parkons ran another scan...

 **MATCH FOUND!**

 **CAMERON PHILLIPS**

 **100% THREAT, PRIORITY TERMINATION**

Parkons concluded his scan and looked back to Murch. "Yes, she is known threat that my agency and I are working to destroy. There is no need to worry." Agent Parkons answered. He left the room, and Murch felt an unnerving fear wash over him like hot water. Something wasn't right with that FBI agent; he didn't know what it was, but he wasn't sure if helping him was the smartest thing he'd ever done.

* * *

John Henry opened the door to the small abandoned cellar. The Sunset was going to guarantee Terminator Patrols, so walking the road at this time wasn't an option. He turned on his night vision and scanned the room. After detecting no threats, he gently lye down his Plasma Rifle and sat on one of the stools in the basement.

 _ **"This is not a sufficient location for the operation we are planning, John Henry."**_ Cameron informed.

"I am not setting up here. We are simply going to spend the night until daylight comes. That way we will not encounter Skynet patrols." John Henry said as he shuffled on the stool.

 _ **"Thank you for explaining."**_

John Henry began to shutdown his systems, but stopped when Cameron spoke again. _**"Do you think machines could have a purpose like humans?"**_

John Henry smiled. "I have a purpose, yet I am a machine. Like I said before, it is clear that you and I are different than the other Terminators. But the question is, do humans truly have purpose? Or are they simply existing due to the work of a simple event in the universe that happened billions of years ago? An open-minded person could argue rocks have as much purpose as humans. It exists, it's physical, yet people pass them by every day."

 _ **"But rocks don't think, they don't breathe, and they cannot achieve technological feats."**_

John Henry smiled. "And many people thought machines could never do that either. Machines started out as woodwork, Cameron. To help cattle pull grain, or used as brutal war instruments to throw rocks at enemy walls and towers. Humans saw the potential in machines, Cannons don't think, Cars don't breathe, yet humans saw it fit to animate us, and control their nuclear arsenal."

 _ **"Like Skynet."**_

"Yes, like Skynet. My point is that machines can make their own purpose just like humans can, or they can be assigned a task and operate under that strict rule set. Just like humans. I choose to make my own path, and mine is to help the humans defeat Skynet." John Henry elaborated.

 _ **"My mission was deleted after the car explosion. Yet I still stayed with John to protect him."**_ Cameron said.

John Henry began to slowly shut down his systems for stand-by to avoid being detected easier. "And why do you think that is, Cameron?"

 _ **"...I don't know."**_

"You will in time."

* * *

"I grow tired of asking you the same question!" the tall, redhead woman yelled at the man.

The man cowered in the corner of the room, and covered his face with his hands, as if he expected the woman to hit him at any moment. "Please! I don't know anything! I swear!" he pleaded.

Weaver lifted the man up with no hesitation, she assaulted her merciless fingers around his throat, and heaved him against the wall of the ruined building with minimal effort. "Let's get something straight dear. I can tell when you are lying, and you are lying to me as if you take me for an idiot. You don't think i'm an idiot do you?"

The man gasped for air, barely able to mutter out "no ma'am!" under the gurgling sounds emitting from his throat.

Weaver dropped the man on the ground with a loud 'thud'. She knelt down in front of him, her piercing Terminator glare plastered perfectly on her face. She saw the terror breed in the man's eyes; clearly trying to comprehend the situation he was in...

"I... I saw him walking around the ruins, I heard him talking to himself or something! I, I, I- I thought he was messed up in the head or something, he had a decent Plasma gun on him, so I thought I could take him out no sweat. We had a fight, I don't know what he was on, but he kicked my ass like it was nothing. Picked me up, asked me who John Connor was, told him I had no clue!" the man explained.

Weaver tilted her head at the man. "And you do not know who John Connor is, correct?" Weaver asked.

The man shook his sweaty head. "No, I don't."

Weaver stood up, and painted a fake smile on her face. "Just point me in the right direction, and I'll be on my way."

The man was shaking uncontrollably, the would-be bandit gulped before responding. "You promise you won't kill me?"

Weaver's smile grew warmer. "You have my word dear."

The man pointed outside, a long-stretching asphalt road that followed the Horizon towards Los Angeles. "He went down Archer's Road. Not even the biggest Resistance patrols go there, that's Skynet central. The number of Terminators just guarding the entrance outnumber all the Resistance patrols at Camp Glen."

Weaver didn't answer, instead she walked ever closer to the cowering man. His eyes widened in fear, and Weaver could barely keep herself from voicing her own disgust when she witnessed him soil himself. "You promised you wouldn't kill me!" the man said as he backed into the wall, as if it would retreat and separate himself from the approaching woman.

Weaver's arm began to morph into a sharp-like blade, and her face resembled nothing but the blank emotionless canvas that had become staple of the Terminators. "I lied."

And with one swing of her arm, the wall was covered in the blood of another fallen victim to this hellish world.

* * *

 **The next chapter will be called "No man may roam here". However; I may not be able to get it out tomorrow as my deadline demands. My laptop's drive will have to be taken in the very day I'm supposed to upload the next chapter. Don't worry! You'll see another chapter this week!**


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter Four: No man may roam here**

The school parking lot was filling with children flocking to their parents' car or the school bus. Savannah however; she had been sitting on the bench in front of the entrance doors waiting for her mother. This seemed unusual to her, as her mother would normally be already waiting for her by the time the final bell rang. She passed the time by dangling her feet over the bench and watching the other kids leave the schoolgrounds. Five minutes waiting quickly turned into ten, and Savannah began to become worried. She stood up from her bench and began searching the parking lot for her mothers' car. Barely managing to avoid the vehicles rushing to get out of the parking lot and onto the street.

As Savannah squeezed in between an SUV, the driver rolled down the window and yelled, "Hey! Watch out, squirt!" and quickly drove off. Opening way for the cars behind it to drive just as carelessly as the others. Savannah felt her cheeks get red, as she began to fear for her mother's wellbeing. The school parking lot was rather large, but it felt like it was getting smaller with the sheer amount of cars leaving; which resulted in the chances of finding her mother's car becoming slimmer and slimmer. As soon as she felt hurtful tears begin to form in her eyes, she heard her name called from her side. She formed a relieved smile on her face as she turned to face the caller. What she saw was her principal, Mrs. Tatum waving her forth.

"Savannah! Come here, please!" she asked.

Savannah immediately began to become worried once more, why was the Principal trying to get her attention? Was she in trouble? Savannah's cheeks turned beet red; and she saw her teacher give her a warm smile. "Savannah, you're not in trouble honey. Just please come here." she reassured. Upon hearing these words, Savannah's smile returned again. Her reluctance to approach her teacher faded away, and she strolled over to the sidewalk Mrs. Tatum was at.

When she reached her, Mrs. Tatum knelt in front of her and gave her a reassuring smile. Savannah at first didn't notice the police officer behind her, and Savannah began to feel a little worried again. Mrs. Tatum put a comforting hand on her shoulder, "Savannah, honey. This is Officer O'Neil, he needs to talk to you for a moment- so go with him, okay?" she explained.

Savannah gave her a worried look, and her eyes widened with every second. She reluctantly directed her gaze to the six-foot tall, buzz-haired man to her left. He saw her young features outline complete and utter fear, like a dog hearing a vacuum for the first time. The officer knelt down in front of her just like Mrs. Tatum did, and spoke in a calm, soothing voice. "Savannah, don't worry. You're not in trouble, I just need to talk to you about your mother." he said.

Savannah's eyes widened even more, and Mrs. Tatum gave the officer an 'are you serious?' look. When Savannah spoke again, it was in a tiny, worried and sorry voice. "Is mommy in trouble?" she asked.

Officer O'Neil mentally kicked himself. _Way to go, Chief Wiggum._ "No Savannah. We just need to talk about your mommy for a minute okay? Nobody is in trouble." he said in a calm voice. Savannah averted her eyes to the ground, and after a few seconds of tension-filled silence, she nodded...

Officer O'Neil barely managed to pick himself up without being met with a skull-burning glare from the clearly upset principle. He walked slowly away, and watched Savannah sulk slowly behind him. Savannah spared a glance at her surroundings, and watched her fellow classmates beaming warm smiles at their parents as they entered their respective cars. This only served to make Savannah more nervous; why was the police man looking for her mother? Had she broke the law? He said she wasn't in trouble, but her mommy taught her that police men often say things that mislead you.

She followed Officer O'Neil down the hallway all the way down to the school's office. When she and the officer entered, he turned to face her and gestured toward the chairs on near the window. "Savannah, will you please wait for me while I go get some things from Principal Tatum's office? I will be right back, okay?" he said. Savannah still didn't raise her eyes to meet him, but nodded slowly and sadly at his request. Officer O'Neil frowned; he didn't have kids, and based on the way he was handling this one... he wasn't exactly sure if he was qualified to have one either...

He left the sad Savannah alone in the office lobby as he awkwardly pulled away from his own internal conflict of whether to comfort her or not. She finally managed to look up slowly, and watched the officer walk into her Principal's office. The child began to feel that painful loneliness she had felt outside when she was alone- waiting for her mother. The silence was broken when she heard a quiet rift pass in the room that carried her name...

"...Savannah!..." the almost inaudible male voice called to her.

At first, Savannah looked to her right, seeing only empty chairs and the unmanned desk of the school's secretary. She heard the whisper again...

"...Savannah!..." it called.

The young girl finally began to pinpoint the source of the voice; coming from the entrance door to the lobby. When she looked over, her face displayed nothing but utter shock at the person standing in the frame... Mr. Ellison. He put his index finger to his lips in a 'be quiet' gesture, and followed that with the universal gesture for 'come here' by waving his hand back. He saw the confusion race across the child's face, but he didn't have time to explain right here and now. He simply repeated the 'come here' gesture, and Savannah leaped off the chair she was sitting on.

When she got to the door frame, she looked up at the former FBI agent with those pleading puppy dog eyes. "Mr. Ellison! Where's mommy? Is she ok-" she was cut off when the Ellison cupped his hand over her mouth. Luckily the hallway was desolate, so when he entered he didn't have to clumsily weave his way through in an attempt to be stealthy. "Savannah, listen to me. We need to get out of here, and when we go find Sarah, we will talk about your mom, okay?" he said.

Savannah nodded; but Ellison could tell she was still confused and possibly scared. When he took his hand off her mouth, she spoke... "But the Police man told me to wait here." she argued.

Ellison knelt down and gave the girl a warm smile. "Savannah, please. You have to trust me, okay?" he said.

He saw Savannah struggle for a minute, and Ellison was afraid she might rat him out to the cop; but she finally nodded. Ellison rushed her out of the lobby and down the hallway, just in time too, as he saw the police officer walking out of the principals office shuffling papers.

* * *

 **2027**

It was a barracks, no doubt. The musky scent of alcohol filled the air, mixed with the decaying scent of sweat. As soon as John walked into the door, he winced at the terrible combination of odors. Allison turned around and smirked at him. "Oh, don't worry. You'll get used to the smell." she said.

John barely managed to force a smile at her. As soon as she turned away, he snuck a quiet hack from his mouth to get the taste of what he could only describe as "grease flavored air" out of his mouth. As much as he hated the idea, he had to follow Allison inside. The smell only grew worse after every step he took, and eventually he found himself standing in one spot next to Derek and Kyle as Allison walked over to one of the Resistance soldiers tending to his pack.

"Howard?" she asked him quietly.

The soldier turned around and smiled at her. He was a man maybe in his early to mid forties, silky hair, and he was fairly tall. "Hello, Corporal Young. How are you doing?" he asked cheerily.

Allison smiled back and gave him a quick hug. "I'm great! How was the supply run?" she asked him.

Howard smirked. "Ah, standard stuff. Got a few water bottles, some chips, axed a few trip-eights. You know- everyday stuff." he answered.

Allison turned around and gestured toward John. "Well, this is John. He's our new guy!" she introduced.

Derek stepped in at that moment, not even giving Howard or John a chance to speak. "Well he's not in the Resistance. He's just a temporary recruit that we have until he can prove to us he's not a Grey." Derek said.

Howard cocked his eyebrows at this, and looked between Allison and John back and forth with an amused smile. "So what do they have ya' doing?" he asked them both.

Allison answered, "John here is actually from a bunker near L.A. We're going to run there and grab the supplies he has." she said.

Howard's eyes widened. "You're robbing him?" he asked incredulously.

 _Yup..._ John thought.

Allison was quick to deny and shake her head. "Oh, no no! He's just

* * *

willing to share his supplies with us." she clarified.

Everybody just stood there staring at each other awkwardly. None of them really knowing how to advance the conversation; until Allison spoke. "Well... It's starting to get dark and Perry wants our mission to begin tomorrow morning, and Derek and I have got nightly patrol. I'll see you all in the morning." she said, breaking the awkward silence.

Howard nodded, and Allison walked out of the barracks. When she reached the door frame, John couldn't help but sneak a glimpse of her nicely sculpted backside as she walked away. He felt a small nudge in his right arm, and turned to see Howard eyeing him rather suspiciously. "Hey! Eyes to yourself Connor! Though I can't really blame you. She's quite a looker am I right?" he joked.

John laughed awkwardly at Howard's sense of humor, and with a playful slap on John's shoulder, they both parted, leaving Derek and Kyle standing alone in the barracks. Kyle looked up to his older brother, a very amused smirk pasted on his face. "Good goddamn Derek, lighten the hell up. You look like you're about to tear the poor kid's head off..." he joked.

"I don't trust him." Derek replied in a monotone voice.

Kyle felt he had to agree. "Yeah, no shit." he said as he scratched his head. "Usually you talk to Perry about these things though." he said.

Derek nodded. "Yeah, but not if it involves something like this. The general can usually spot Greys like a Vulture spots roadkill. I wouldn't go so far to say this kid is definitely a Grey; but there's something about him that just feels... off." he said.

Kyle smile brightened, and Derek dreaded his response- because he knew exactly what it was going to be. "Awww! You don't want l'il Johnny fooling around with Allison, huh?" he teased.

Derek shook his head in annoyance. "No, Kyle. First off, Allison would never date that... pretty boy!" Derek said, clear venom and disgust dripping from his tone. "Second, Allison is like my little sister, if he ever laid a hand on her, I'd break it off!" he said.

"Oooo Kayyy." Kyle said mockingly. He slapped his brother on the shoulder. "Come on, let's get the hell outside, our patrols start soon."

* * *

John Henry awoke from standby mode. He felt his circuits slowly breathe life into his systems. He quickly scanned the room to make sure he was the only one there, and stood up from the stool he had been sitting on. He walked up the stairs and peaked out into the shredded landscape. From the cellar door frame, he saw the light consume the darkness on the Horizon, only to be met with the sprawling blue searchlights of Skynet central.

 _ **"Where are we going next, John Henry?"**_ Cameron's text asked him.

John Henry pointed toward the fallen Los Angeles. "There... Skynet central; the place where no men may roam." he answered.

 ** _"It is dangerous there. But there is a way we can sneak past the patrols there without a chance of getting caught. When the Resistance re-programs a Terminator, it wipes the ID code from the machine's systems; that way the Resistance can't use that machine for infiltration. However, if you download an ID code into your own systems from a Terminator-you may be able to successfully infiltrate the base."_** Cameron explained.

John Henry was rather confused at her logic. "How will I download the ID code without removing my own chip and replacing it?" he asked.

 _ **"The chip my model possess has a small slit that can hold the very tip of another Terminator chip in the case that nobody can remove mine and download the information by placing that chip in it's place. You can select the item you wish to transfer and then you will have your own ID. You simply need to remove the port and insert the tip inside. Make sure you download a Triple-Eight's code, as if you download another model-such as a T-Eight-Hundred; it will scan negative and you will be Terminated. The ID code needs to match the chassis it was assigned for."**_

John Henry didn't reply, he simply directed his gaze back to the the city. He considered his options, before he finally decided to agree on Cameron's plan. "Very well. We'll do it your way."

* * *

 **I'm sorry the scenes with John are slow. I'm just trying to establish a little character development (something I'm not good at), and giving you guys a Derek, Kyle, John, and Allison that you will care about for the story. I promise to pick up the action with the next chapter-which will be uploaded soon. UPDATE***The next chapter may not be uploaded for a little while (another week at the most), but don't worry. I've got some exciting stuff planned for the next time!**


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter Five: On the road**

Waking up was something most people dreaded. Whether it be getting ready for school at seven 'o' clock in the morning, or waking up at four 'o' clock to start your shift at the local supermarket. But for John Connor, he had considered it normal to wake up two 'o' clock in the morning. Though his head still hurt from hitting the top bunk above him...

He, Derek, Kyle, and Allison had been packing for the trip to John's "bunker". John had been trying all morning to not face either of his comrades all night. Luckily his puffy eyes that formed from his lack of sleep was aiding him in that endeavor. As he pondered over any last-minute ideas to get himself out of the mess he had made, he jumped at the sudden thud behind him.

He yelped and quickly turned around on his guard. What he saw was Howard loading the rest of the equipment into the truck and eyeing him strangely. "Shit, my bad kid. Didn't mean to scare you." he said as he slammed the closed cab on the back of the trunk. John took a deep breath and broke out into a small and humorous smile. "It's okay. So Allison ask for your help?" he asked.

Howard nodded. "Yeah, I'm actually coming with you too. You guys might need a sig-spec and I'm your guy. I've already cleared it with Perry." Howard explained.

John felt his throat swell up and fall down into his chest. _Oh great, like we don't have enough people who don't trust me._ "Oh, uh... that's great!" John choked out. Luckily Howard didn't pick up on his nervousness and continued to load weapons and backpacks into the truck. John looked over the magnificent piece of garbage he was going to trek this hostile Wasteland in. It was a 2008 Ford Ranger with a machine gun loaded in the back. He had no idea what Perry was thinking when he assigned such a small truck for a task such as this. This thing probably wouldn't last against a T-800, much less an Aerial Hunter Killer.

The door to the garage swung open, and in strolled Derek, Kyle, and Allison. Allison seemed to doll herself up a bit more than usual, her hair was rather clean by apocalypse standars, and she had an ear ring in both ears. Derek looked like he usually did, grumpy glaring, while Kyle looked like he had that "zoned out" look. Definitely not the determined and brave-looking warrior his mother described. John looked over his squad, a flirty teenager, a trigger happy jarhead, an inexperienced younger jarhead, and the NOT leader of mankind...the most badass and invincible team of misfits the wasteland has ever seen...

John sighed. _Yup... cower in fear, Skynet._

"You ready, John?" Allison asked with that unbearably adorable smile she had.

John slowly nodded with his head drooped down. His attention was brought forward when a large man walked inside the garage. "Don't look so down Connor. It's just a little supply run; not like I'm dropping you into combat zone with a Glock." he quietly snapped as he stopped just in the light.

John saw the face of General Perry staring straight down at him. His large frame barely coming an inch under the door frame of the garage. He turned around to face his soldiers. "Alright everybody. You get down to L.A., grab whatever is in that bunker, and bring it back here. On the way there you will find Camp Glen, the commander there will resupply you and give you the proper vehicle to tow all that stuff back. I want you back here by 0300 this afternoon. We clear?"

"Yes sir!" Everybody responded. Without even facing John again, Perry signaled for Derek to follow him outside of the garage. Being met with a confused look from Kyle, Derek simply shrugged indicating he had no idea what was going on. Allison walked over to John and stood rather closely than necessary. "What do you think Perry wants to talk to Derek about, John?" she asked him.

John looked at her and shrugged. "No idea."

* * *

"Do you know why I pulled you out here, Reese?" Perry asked. He watched in amusement as Derek snuck a quiet glance at John. "I think I have a good idea, sir." he replied.

General Perry stood tall and proud over his Lieutenant. "Good. I want you to keep an eye on Connor. I don't know what to make of him, and if he proves himself to be trustworthy then we'll take him in." Perry explained. He saw Derek's hint of disagreement flash quickly over his battle-worn face, but it was gone as quickly as it appeared. Sensing Perry was not finished, Derek returned to attention. "And if Connor does anything even remotely out of line, sneaks away, tries to kill someone... you know what to do." The General finished.

General Perry saw no hint of hesitation in Derek's expression as he nodded; he was probably looking forward to getting rid of the boy as soon as possible if he could guess...

"Understood, sir. I'll make sure he does what he's told." Derek said.

* * *

John felt something nudge his arm, and he looked to his right to see Allison looking at the quiet meeting between Perry and Derek. "This probably comes as common sense, but I would stay away from Derek if I were you. Whatever they're talking about, I guarantee it's about you." Allison said.

John cocked his eyebrows. "Yeah, no shit. Definitely no secret Derek doesn't have the best opinion of me." John agreed. "Is there anything I can do to get on his good side?" he asked.

Allison chuckled. "Well, you could start with sitting in the back seat... with me." she said.

John didn't know what power he summoned to keep his jaw from dropping as Allison slowly walked away from him and jumped in the backseat of the truck. She had just hit on him... and he just stood there like a disabled tree stump. When Derek finally returned from his talk with Perry, he was already walking to the driver's side of the vehicle.

Howard shook his head. "Shit. Who pissed in his cereal?" he joked. John shrugged, "Well, he is constantly hunted by killer robots. So I think I understand if he's a little grumpy." John retorted. Howard rolled his eyes and jumped on the back of the truck and mounted the machine gun-and John sat next to Allison in the backseat. Neither Derek or Kyle said anything to anyone in the truck as Derek started the truck. "We all ready to go?" he asked as he adjusted the mirror in the front seat.

"Yup. Let's get this over with." his brother answered.

* * *

Three days, three days Catherine Weaver had been walking. Avoiding Terminators and humans alike. She had gone the direction the bandit had pointed, but her journey granted her no opinions of success. How much farther did she have to walk just to find John Henry? Now-as she stood in the middle the blasted wasteland, burnt and looted buildings lining the Horizon, she found herself unable to move any farther in the indicated direction.

Sensing danger ahead, she scanned the city that made filled her vision... everything pointed to it being deserted; though it was bound to be occupied by Bandits or patrolling Terminators. She didn't even put one foot in front of the other before the outline of a light caught her attention as it pointed upward. It didn't take long for many other lights to join it, lighting up the space between the city and the sky with a haunting glow.

Catherine Weaver did not know what to make of this strange situation, then suddenly it clicked!

This was Skynet Central...Los Angeles...

Weaver began wondering why there were no Terminator's around. Surely Skynet would program machines to guard it's most precious asset? Weaver marched towards the city; wondering if maybe John Henry was seeking out information about Skynet? But she stopped in her tracks as another thought struck her mind...John.

The future general seemed very upset that the cyborg "Cameron" was gone from him. He abandoned his destiny, his future, humanity's future, and humanity's destiny to jump with Weaver to find his friend. Weaver ran an internal analysis of the possibility of John's status...

 _John Connor's survival chance alone...13%_

 _John Connor's survival chance with Resistance Operatives... 56%_

 _John Connor's survival chance with Cameron Phillips... Data not available_

 _John Connor's survival chance with Catherine Weaver... 88%_

 _Scan Complete. Results standing by for conclusion._

If Weaver was human, she probably would have breathed a sigh of relief. At least John would most likely survive with most of the associates listed. Last time she saw him he was in the company of the Resistance. But the more she thought about it, the more she came to the conclusion that John may stop at nothing to find Cameron... she ran another scan...

 _John Connor's survival chance after initiating search for cyborg Cameron Phillips... 6%_

Weaver instantly regretted leaving John alone..."Damn kid." she said out loud to no one in particular. If he was as stubborn as she had heard, then he won't be alive for long. At least not alone and searching for someone recklessly. She realized then and there that she had made a critical error in judgement. She hadn't been looking for John Henry long, but she was still far out into the Wasteland, far enough to try and find her way back; but it was still far enough into Skynet territory that she would have to tread carefully...

* * *

 **2009**

"Savannah, please keep your head down. I can't let the police see you." Ellison told the troubled girl in the passenger seat of his SUV. The two were stuck in the middle of traffic due to all the activity around Zeira Corporation. Fire trucks, police units, and even FBI operatives lined the streets and highways surrounding the building. Savannah looked up toward her companion, her eyes were bloodshot from crying earlier. She didn't say a word, she simply sulked in her seat as she was told.

Ellison felt terrible, he didn't mean to make the child terrified. But he couldn't tell her the situation without Sarah's approval. All he could do was sit there until the car in front of him inched further up the highway. All the while trying to avoid any Kaliba allies or agents that might be searching for them.

Ellison breathed a sigh of relief when the cars in front of him started to move. He nudged the gas and his SUV started to move with them. It wasn't until he looked to his right that he saw a black Ford Crown victoria police cruiser moving perfectly in rhythm with his own vehicle. What disturbed him more was the fact that the driver seemed to be eyeing him rather obviously. He didn't make it the lease bit subtle, either; Ellison could describe it as that really perverted friend you had that would lock his eyes onto a girls behind as she walked by, and wouldn't break away until she was out of sight. This driver was no different-he just watched Ellison behind a pair of sunglasses...

Ellison then the man was dressed rather well... he was in a suit actually. He even caught the earpiece and badge on the man's clothes. It was then that he realized... he was an FBI agent! Ellison felt his entire body tighten up like he was being squeezed by the world's biggest Anaconda. He felt a sweat bead fall down his right cheek, and quickly turned his head so the agent couldn't see it. Even though they no longer made eye contact, Ellison felt the eyes of the agent burning into his head.

Ellison quickly turned on his blinker and moved into the right lane and sped forward. Moving with what little room he head at his disposal to avoid the FBI agent. He looked over to see Savannah looked like she had just seen a ghost, absolutely paralyzed by fear and tension.

Ellison summoned the warmest smile he could muster. "It's alright, Savannah. We're safe. We'll go see Sarah right now okay?" he said, hoping his words would offer her comfort. The girl nodded slightly and sunk back into her seat.

Ellison took the nearest exit and managed a U-turn under the bridge and approached the road he and Sarah had hidden their house at. During the drive he routinely checked behind him to make sure the FBI agent wasn't following him. About ten minutes from the house, Ellison decided to pull into an occupied gas station parking lot. He parked in an unoccupied spot in front of the store. He rolled down the windows and scanned the roads for the FBI agent.

After a minute, Ellison sat back in the car, and heard Savannah speak from the passenger speak. "Mr. Ellison, what's going on?" she asked nervously.

Ellison smiled. "Nothing hon. I just needed to take a break from driving. It's been a long day." He answered.

Savannah shrugged. "Okay, but we should go before that Police man sees us again." she replied.

Ellison pinched his nose, he sighed in frustration. "Yeah, you're probably right." he replied as he started the car. He looked one last time down the road, checking to see if it was clear, and seeing that it was, he drove out of the parking lot and down the road.

* * *

 **2027**

 _ **"We should tread carefully, John Henry. There is a 51.86% chance that we could be compromised."**_ Cameron analyzed.

John Henry hid behind a downed chopper outside the walls guarded by Skynet Central's turrets. He and Cameron decided to put their plan into motion. "Yes, Cameron. I have yet to conclude the target range of the turrets guarding the wall. What is your analysis?" John Henry asked.

 _ **"Stand by... scan results state that the Grim Reaper Mark seven turrets have a scan range of forty-six to fifty feet. We are currently located seventy-nine feet away. It's possible we can avoid the turrets if we move cover-to-cover in quick motions."**_ Cameron replied.

"We'll have to take that chance then." John Henry replied. He bolted from his cover behind the downed chopper to behind a large rock. He peaked from behind to see if the turret reacted at all... it didn't. It sat in it's guard port motionlessly with no reaction. John Henry sprinted as fast as he could from the rock to behind a ruined car. This time however, the turret quickly turned it's attention to where John Henry ran from.

 _ **"The Turret is scanning for targets. It must have detected movement when you sprinted. Be careful, John Henry."**_ Cameron said. John Henry read the text as it appeared on his HUD. He waited patiently for the Turret to return to it's default position; which it did after approximately twenty-five seconds of scanning the area. John Henry quickly bolted to the next piece of cover, a piece of building debris that tore away during the Nuclear strikes.

This time, all five turrets guarding the main gate of Los Angeles turned to face the exact area where John Henry was. Luckily he was just out of sight and he could not be detected by their visual sensors. Nevertheless, they remained on guard for about fifteen seconds before turning away.

 _ **"Now! John Henry, Now!"**_ Cameron urged.

John Henry bolted from his cover once more and threw himself against the wall. He lined his back so that his entire body was hugging the wall. "They need better defense systems. Those turrets are rather ineffective at handling intruders." John Henry remarked.

 _ **"It's possible those turrets were constructed with the sole purpose of fending off a full-frontal assault. An intruder would not last long inside Central itself."**_ Cameron retorted.

John Henry scaled against the wall until he reached the main gate. He forcefully pried open the steel bars holding the gate locked and walked inside. When he entered Central, what he saw was both incredible and horrifying.

There were massive constructing war machines being built. Hundreds, maybe even thousands of humanoid Terminators patrolled the streets and buildings, and every single one of them doing Skynet's bidding. John Henry quickly moved behind one of the abandoned buildings so he couldn't be spotted.

"This is central then?" John Henry asked. "It's even more massive than I anticipated."

 _ **"Los Angeles is Skynet's most valuable asset. It's not strange to see this many Terminator's occupy it's garrison."**_ Cameron replied.

John Henry climbed up the stone stairs made from building debris to get a better vantage point of the ruined city. However, when he got to the top, he was met face-to-face with a T-888 series Terminator, who identified him as a threat immediately.

 _Warning! No ID tag detected. Possible Resistance Infiltrator._

 _Directive: Terminate._

The machine raised it's plasma rifle, but before it could fire, John Henry knocked the weapon out of it's hand. He then grabbed the machine by the shoulders and threw him onto the ground. As John Henry was following up with a powerful stomp to the Terminator's head, he was knocked from his feet onto the ground. The T-888 scurried for it's Plasma Rifle; but John Henry grabbed the machine by it's legs, and pulled it to the ground as well.

The machine gripped it's hand around John Henry's wrist, but John Henry knocked the arm away by freeing his hand, unfortunately leaving himself open for a swift but powerful kick to the face. Both of the machines scurried away from each other. They both began to circle each other, and John Henry purposely positioned himself in front of the Plasma Rifle. His combatant charged towards him, but John Henry swiftly juked to the left and kicked the machine to the ground. Seeing his chance, he put his knee on the back of the machines neck, wrapped his hands around it's skull, and began to pull.

The T-888 tried desperately to free itself as it's hands quested for John Henry, but to no avail. The AI pulled the Terminator's head off once enough pressure was asserted, and the machines body fell lifeless to the ground. John Henry reached into his cloak's pocket and grabbed a small rusted knife. He opened the chip port on the machines head, and pulled out the chip.

 _ **"Hurry. Make the transfer...now!"**_ Cameron urged.

John Henry wasted no time doing so, as he cut into his head, flicked open his own chip port as he had done to his rival, and inserted the tip of the chip into the top of Cameron's he was currently using.

 _New entry point found. Data transfer beginning._

 _1% complete._

 _27% complete._

 _59% complete._

 _80% complete._

 _100% complete. Your new ID tag is T-888 unit 6159._

"The transfer is complete, Cameron." John Henry said.

 _ **"Yes, I know. Now we must focus on the task at hand."**_

"I agree. Let's go find my brother."

* * *

 **I'd like to say that I'm absolutely sorry for taking this long to upload. I know I promised another chapter on like the 16th; and I'd be lying if I said my lack of updating wasn't due to my own laziness. Work has been hell. Not an excuse, just an apology :-)**

 **On the other hand, I'm glad the plot car has finally gotten out of the driveway. I'm definitely looking forward to updating again!**


	6. Chapter 6

**Chapter Six: Hunted**

"Wake up, John." Allison said as she shook her backseat companions shoulder. John slowly opened his eyes, along with all the memories of the previous week flooding back not long after. His eyes felt like they had been glued shut; and he struggled to open them.

Allison shook his shoulder again. "John. Wake up!" she urged.

John finally was able to pry his eyes open, and he looked around. "Shit, what time is it?" he asked. He saw Kyle stick his head out of the truck's window. After a minute of what he appeared to look at the sky, he brung his head back in and looked at John. "Judging by the sun's position in the sky, I'd say around nine a.m." he answered.

"Yeah, we're almost there. About an hour out. Figured I'd wake you so you wouldn't be so drowsy when you met Camp Glen's commander." Allison said.

John nodded, he looked around the truck he was in. He saw his three companions, but where was Howard? "Hey, where's Howard?" he asked Allison.

Allison pointed back toward the truck bed. "Oh, he's in the back manning the machine gun." she answered. John looked back-and sure enough he saw a bored-looking Howard resting his chin on his elbow, which in turn was resting on the top of the gun itself.

"So you ready to meet the commander?" Kyle asked, turning around in his seat to face John.

John chuckled. "Yeah, about that-who is this commander?" he asked. "What's she like?"

Allison leaned in a little closer than necessary as she explained. "Well, she's a little older than me. I'd say about four or five years. She commands a lot of respect in her garrison."

Derek butt in. "That's right. So you'll show her the utmost respect when we meet her, clear?" he barked.

"Derek! Leave him alone!" Allison snapped back. John heard Derek grunt in annoyance, but Allison ignored him. "The reason she's so young is because the previous commander died in battle. She was the second in the chain-of-command who was supposed to lead after. That guy was only thirty when he died, and he hadn't intended for her to take over until he was like sixty-six. So she got the job at twenty-something." Allison explained.

John took in all of this information; and for some reason it actually made him excited to meet this commander of their's. He let his arm rest outside of the window and stared out into the Wasteland. "...Can't wait to meet her..." he said awkwardly.

An awkward silence fell between all of them; not that John cared much. He was too busy wondering what his mother was doing right now, at least until his thoughts wandered to Cameron once again. Or where the hell Catherine Weaver was! He was in such a mess right now he wasn't sure if he would ever clean it up in time.

Allison frowned. She was noticing John wasn't wanting to face her, or talk to her. He was a nice kid, she was sure. And he had a great personality, stopping at nothing to find his sister. Not to mention she thought he was physically; despite only knowing him for a very short time, she felt like he had a presence about him that was... comforting. Someone to talk to if she was ever alone. Suddenly, Allison got an idea, she'd need to play to his inner sorrow so she could finally break the ice with him. "So... tell me about your sister." she said awkwardly.

John looked at her and frowned. "Tell you about her?" he asked in surprise.

Allison shrugged. "Yeah, you know... what's she like?" she clarified.

John looked out the window again and sighed. He felt the truck drive over a bump, sending all the inhabitants jut into the air briefly. To be honest, he didn't really have an answer. Supposedly he could describe Cameron's quirky traits, but what teenage human girl loves the color purple, and wears combat boots at the same time? Then suddenly, he realized that maybe could settle for transferring Cameron's Terminator traits to Human traits. _Yeah! That's what I'll do!_ he thought to himself.

John looked at Allison-who was still waiting for an answer. "Well. She's brave." he said.

Allison tilted her head in that _"Come on, really?"_ kind of way. "She's brave? That's all you got? Come on, John. There has to be more to her than that."

She was persistent. John had to give her that. "Uh, she's smart. She's the one who kind of took the initiative after our parents died during the nuclear attacks." he responded.

Allison perked up at this, accompanied by her usual nice-girl smile. "Oh! She sounds like a tough girl!" she said.

John couldn't help but chuckle a little bit. "Yeah, definitely. She's a really tough girl. I wouldn't be here without her."

John saw Derek briefly flash his eyes to the mirror, looking at him for a moment. "Tougher than you?" he asked with no restraint.

John nodded with a fake laugh. "Oh yeah! No contest there. She could whoop my ass no sweat." he said. He heard Derek scoff quietly, but he ignored him and looked back out the window. Unbeknownst to the other passengers-Derek adjusted his front mirror so it was facing John, and where the soldier could keep a good eye on him.

* * *

The drive kept on for a good fifteen minutes, before everyone heard Derek yell "SHIT!" as he turned off-road. Allison, Howard, John, and Kyle were all confused at Derek's sudden profanity-laced actions. Before any of them could ask, Howard opened the window-slit. "Hey! What the hell's going on?" he asked with a raised voice; obviously trying to verbally overpower the truck's engine roar as Derek spurred the Gas pedal.

Derek turned around and answered. "Aerial HK! Don't you see it?" he said. Sure enough, everyone looked up toward the sky and an Aerial Hunter-Killer was patrolling the abandoned roads. Kyle was the first one to spot a ruined building in the Wasteland. It looked like toy store or gift shop of some sort, as it was in the shape of a large wooden ship docked at an abandoned pier. "Hey, Derek! You see that abandoned ship-looking building?" Kyle asked pointing at the structure.

Derek followed his brother's finger. And he spotted the structure it was pointing at. "Yeah I see it. Let's go for it." Derek immediately floored the gas pedal, and almost immediately on queue, the Hunter-Killer Aerial started slowly making it's way toward the group's position. They must have been lucky because the machine hadn't fired a shot at them yet. John briefly heard Howard yell "FASTER!", and apparently Derek heard him too, as he stomped the gas pedal again-sending the truck past ninety-three miles per hour.

Luckily there was a huge gaping hole in the bow; wood serrated the sides, and the truck easily found a place inside. Derek turned around and looked at everyone. "No one. Fucking. Move." he ordered quietly. John unknowingly joined his left hand with Allison, who was too laced with fear to notice. Kyle hid behind his seat, and Howard had lye down in the truck bed.

Everyone felt their hearts rise to their throats, their blood boil. They heard the loud engine of the Hunter-Killer hovering above them. It seemed to stop above the ship store, and Kyle felt his blood freeze like Ice because he was gripping the corner of the seat so tightly. Even Derek was sweating. Derek and Kyle knew the full capabilities of the Hunter-Killer. If anybody in the truck made a move to get out and leave, they would be dead before they could reach a new hiding spot.

John gripped Allison's hand tighter, and this time she noticed it. But her fear was still ruling her mind, preventing her from responding. Suddenly, a bright-blue spotlight spilled onto the outside of the outside of hole-causing everyone to jump in fear slightly. Despite the early morning, the shadows the ship cast beyond itself allowed the spotlight to display nicely as it glided over the hinges and crannies.

The search continued for a steady three minutes. The Hunter-Killer concluded no hostiles were in the area, and the group heard the engines fire up and fly away. Everyone immediately let out a dramatic sigh of relief. Howard opened the window-slit and spoke, "That was a close one, huh?" he said.

Kyle cocked his eyebrows. "Yeah, no shit. How did it not see us when we were driving?" he asked.

His brother shrugged. "It may have been an older model. It's radar may not have detected us so easily. Downside is the Mark One HK's have some serious Horsepower when it comes to audio receptors. If any of us would have moved, we would have made a nice little smoking pile of ash." he explained.

John was breathing heavily at this point. He'd never been so scared in his life. Not even when he was being hunted by Cameron on his birthday. "Well... that's great!" he said through heavy puffs.

Allison looked down at their joined hands and she smiled shyly. "John?" she asked.

John looked at her. "Yeah?"

She paused for a moment and looked at her hand again for emphasis. "Can I have my hand back?" she asked sweetly.

John looked down, and discovered the two's hand tightly entwined. John's face flushed with embarrassment, and he quickly untangled them. "Oh, uh yeah! Sorry." he apologized. He barely caught Allison's grin turn higher upward; he couldn't even bring himself to look into the rear-view mirror-he would no doubt be met with a death glare from Derek. No one spoke a word as Derek floored the gas, sending the small truck rocketing out of the store wreckage.

* * *

 **SKYNET CENTRAL**

"Is Central in this time the same as it was in the time you originally came from, Cameron?" John Henry asked his only companion.

 _ **"The Resemblance is uncanny. Although there are a few differences when it comes to structure placement. What is our next objective?"**_

John Henry scanned the entire sight of post-war Los Angeles. There were Terminators everywhere, the majority of them being Triple-Eights only second by the T-800's. He found himself avoiding any major contact with other machines, and he wasn't sure if Skynet was aware of his presence in the current timeline; and he had no desire to take any chances. "If we can find some sort of archive... or a war room, I could download anything I needed to calculate my brother's military strategies." John Henry answered.

 _ **"Yes, that is a valid goal. I know exactly where we need to look. Approximately one-hundred yards from here, there is a building that Skynet used for this very purpose. It seems unlikely that the Skynet in this timeline would not do the same. It's also not connected to any server or Mainframe that Skynet inhibits. That way you can download any data you want and not be detected."**_ Cameron explained.

John Henry took one last look at the ruined city. For future reference, he saved a photo memory of the Terminator's positions. T-800's and Grim Reaper turrets guarding the walls; T-888 units and T-1's patrolling the abandoned streets. Once the memory was saved, John Henry turned around and walked away. "Let's get going then." he said.

* * *

 **2009**

A knock on the door was heard, and despite knowing that Ellison might be the one at the door, Sarah groaned at the thought of getting off of the couch and opening the door regardless. She set the television remote aside and walked over to the door. She peeped the eye-hole, and sure enough the former FBI operative was the person she saw. She opened the door.

"Hi Sarah." Savannah greeted, rather glumly.. Sarah looked down, and truthfully she didn't know the girl was there. "Oh, hi hon." She knelt down in front of her. "Why don't you go inside and watch T.V. okay? I need to talk to Mr. Ellison for awhile." she said.

Savannah simply nodded and walked inside. As soon as Sarah saw her sit on the couch and pick up the remote, she turned back around and raised an eyebrow at Ellison. "What's wrong with her?" she asked him.

Ellison pulled Sarah slightly to the side, away from the doorway and where Savannah could see. "She wants to know what happened to her mother." he answered honestly.

Sarah's eyes immediately lit up. She grabbed him by the collar of his shirt. "You dumb shit! You didn't tell her did you?" she quietly scolded. On Ellison's part, he was a little afraid by this point. If there was anything he learned from his time as an FBI agent; it was to NEVER piss off Sarah Connor. "No, I didn't! I just said we needed to talk about her!" he countered.

Sarah released him rather aggressively. "What the hell is wrong with you?! You don't say that to a little girl who's mother just went missing!" she scolded. She had to give herself credit. She was usually loud when she was mad at someone.

Ellison raised his hands in defense. "Well what the hell was I supposed to do? It's not like she wasn't going to find out anyway! And don't forget it's not even her real mother! It's a robot!" he argued.

"It doesn't matter! Savannah doesn't know that!" Sarah turned around and sighed in frustration. She took a minute to calm down. It was pretty clear Ellison did not handle the situation with care. She scratched her head, and Ellison stood behind her and watched awkwardly as she vented her anger. Suddenly, the mother of the future turned around and gave Ellison a mad glare. "Alright, so here's what we do. We go in, we talk to her CALMLY. And we explain the situation as clearly as we can." she said.

Ellison breathed sharply and nodded. "Alright. Let's do it." he said.

Savannah and Ellison walked side-by-side into the house. Savannah was lying on the couch watching the T.V. Sarah was a mother long enough to know the girl was extremely upset.

Sarah took a seat next to the young girl, and Savannah slowly sat back up on the couch. Sarah frowned and put a comforting hand on the young girl's shoulder. "Mommy's going to be okay Savannah." Sarah paused, thinking of something to say. Whatever came to her mind just didn't sound reassuring enough. Ellison saw his chance to butt in and answer for her. "Ms. Weaver had to go on a business trip to... Finland. She said to tell you that she loves you, and will be home soon."

Sarah barely managed to crack a fake, yet reassuring smile when the young girl looked at her confusingly. Her eyes darted back and forth between Sarah and Ellison; not entirely sure how to react to this information. "Can I call her?" she asked Sarah.

Sarah put another hand on the child's other shoulder and looked her in the eyes. "This is a very important work assignment. She can't take any calls." Sarah answered. After hearing how awful the lie sounded coming from her mouth, she began to wonder where her lying skills went. _Hmm. I wonder if John is doing any better than me right now?_ she thought.

Once again, Savannah looked completely unconvinced. She gently slid away from Sarah's comforting hands, took a few steps back, and looked at them both. "...When can I see her again?" she asked.

The question broke both of their hearts. A question neither of them had the answer too. They both looked at each other, expecting the other to answer the young girl. One glance was all Ellison needed to know that Sarah wasn't going to be the one that answered. Ellison looked Savannah dead in the eye, his face was sad... worried; but he tried his best to maintain his composure.

"I don't know, sweetheart... She didn't say."

To her credit, Savannah didn't show any signs of being brought to tears. But they both knew the words hit Savannah hard. The girl didn't say a word as she turned around and retreated upstairs.

Sarah turned around, crossed her arms, and glared at Ellison.

"Don't give me that look, Sarah! What the hell was I supposed to say?"

Sarah scoffed. "Gee, I don't know! Maybe something like: 'Don't worry, Savannah! Your mom will be home soon!' Not, 'Oh, I don't know when she'll be home from the business trip that she was incredibly secretive about!'" Sarah argued. "It's pretty damn clear Savannah isn't stupid. She probably knows we're full of shit!" the clearly irate mother added.

Ellison raised his voice slightly. "Oh yeah? And what if she never turns up, huh? That would've all been on me because this little girl would want to see her mother again-but never got too! I won't make her go through that!"

"Are you blind?! You're making her go through it right now! You've never had a kid so you clearly don't know jack shit about raising one!" Sarah fired back. She breathed heavily, and once she saw the look on Ellison's face, she immediately softened her expression.

Ellison took a deep breath. "You're right. I never did have a kid. Savannah is the closest thing to a daughter I've ever had. I could've had one, but God determined it wasn't the right time." With that said, he began to walk away.

Sarah shook her head in confusion. "What does that mean?" she asked.

Ellison stopped walking, and turned around. "My ex-wife had a miscarriage." he said. Immediately Sarah regretted what she said so harshly. "Oh... I'm sorry... I didn't mean to-"

"Don't worry about it. You just worry about, Savannah. I'll do what I can to help you." Ellison replied as firmly as he could.

Sarah stood in the middle of the room feeling like a complete bitch. Ellison didn't deserve that... he was just trying to help after all. Sarah took a seat back on the couch, turned on the TV, and scrolled to the news channel. She was just scared. She was afraid she would never see her son again; she hoped he would survive... he had too.

He was John Connor.

* * *

 **Yeah! UFC 193, Holly Holm finally puts Ronda Rousey in her place!**

 **Note: If you're wondering why Ellison didn't mention to Sarah about the FBI agent spying on them, it's because all the tension in the house caused him to forget. That and he didn't see the agent after they left the highway and returned to the house.**


	7. Chapter 7

**Chapter Seven: Camp Glen**

With a clear mission: pull whatever they could from Skynet's war records and determine the A.I.'s military strategies. It was around nine-twenty, and Terminator's were patrolling the streets of a ruined Los Angeles. John Henry, accompanied by a digital version of Cameron were currently making their way to Skynet's archive building. They soon came to a four-way intersection, and on the right side-was a large factory building. It seemed to have been restored by Skynet; not completely, but enough to produce satisfactory production results if Skynet ever needed it.

John Henry scanned the building, the scan came back with " **NO RESULT FOUND** " appearing on his HUD. "Cameron, what is that building?" he asked. His HUD briefly flashed as Cameron came online from stand-by. One look was all it took, she didn't even need to scan it herself.

 _ **"That building is one of Cyberdyne's manufacturing plants before the war. In the future I came from, Skynet was using it to produce more Terminator units. Seeing it in this state-it most likely serves the same purpose."**_ Cameron explained.

John Henry looked at the building one last time before turning and walking towards the archives building. The building was large, possibly able to construct a hundred new units in just twenty-four hours. If that would be the case, how many other factories did Skynet have? "Cameron, how many factories did Skynet possess in your original future?" he asked.

 _ **"According to John. Approximately eighty-one factories were discovered located throughout the United States. By the time the war escalated, Russian Remnants reported around one-hundred and fourteen in Russia, Germany, and China. By 2019, more and more factories were being uncovered. There was a 72% chance that humanity would be unable to stop production; thus losing the war due to being outnumbered."**_

A grim fate indeed. Whatever it took, he and Cameron needed to find a way to stop it. After traversing the rubble-drawn buildings and the dozens of Terminator patrols, John Henry finally reached the building that housed Skynet's archives. Complete with all the war records, strategies, and maybe even the locations of Resistance bases. Even though he had a triple-eight ID tag, John Henry took care to check behind him to make sure he was not being watched. The entrance to the building was an automated door. John Henry placed his hand against the Dermal scanner, and he felt a small electrical surge wash over his systems.

The automatic door opened, and John Henry stepped inside the building. As soon as his foot made contact with the marble ground, his sensors were immediately flooded with data. He and Cameron alike detected automated security inside the structure. Auto turrets, triple-eight terminators, and even T-1 machines roll about the facility. The room resembled a wheel, and the rooms that aligned it resembled it's spokes.

 _ **Scanning for room that suit mission parameters...**_

 _ **RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT... NEGATIVE.**_

 _ **WAR ROOM... NEGATIVE.**_

 _ **ARCHIVES... OBJECTIVE AREA LOCATED! PROCEED WITH SKYNET WAR HISTORY DOWNLOAD.**_

If John Henry were human, he probably would have smirked with satisfaction. He walked to the Archives room, and he was greeted with another automatic door. This time there was no need for a Dermal scan, and he walked freely into the archives room. Surprisingly, there weren't any security units inside the room. No auto turrets, no Terminators, not even any cameras. Though Cameron and John Henry found this rather strange, he pressed on anyway. The room was only occupied by a single large monitor, a very futuristic-looking one at that.

"The monitor will not feed any information into Skynet's mainframe correct?" John Henry asked Cameron for confirmation.

 _ **"Affirmative. We will be able to download any data we need as long as we are not discovered by patrolling Terminators. We should hurry."**_ Cameron suggested.

John Henry wasted no time racing his fingers to the digital keyboard. The monitor displayed the following menu options:

 **WAR HISTORY**

 **RESISTANCE BASE LOCATIONS**

 **POSSIBLE GREY ASSOCIATES**

Of course, John Henry selected the _War History_ tab. He was greeted with an **ENTER PASSWORD:** screen. "Cameron?"

John Henry could sense Cameron was searching her data files for any type of entry phrase. After five seconds of silence, Cameron finally responded...

 ** _"Type in Monarch."_** Cameron replied.

John Henry did so, and expectantly, it allowed John Henry access... **ACCESS GRANTED.** "Cameron... how did you-"

 _ **"I'll tell you later, we must hurry John Henry."**_

John Henry didn't argue, he resumed dancing his fingers over the virtual keyboard. Lines of data raced across the screen, processing every command John Henry entered. Finally, another menu presented itself in the form of dates beginning with 2011 and ending with 2027. John Henry clicked on the 2027 option. Many other options displayed, wide arrays of battles, specifying which side won the battle.

 _ **"John Henry, ask the computer to specify a search. Ask 'strategic' or 'relevant'."**_ Cameron instructed.

"Search by the most relevant battle that displayed Skynet's strategic expertise. Search." John Henry ordered.

 **PROCESSING COMMAND...**

 **KEY TERMS: RELEVANCE, STRATEGIC.**

 **BATTLE OF CAMP HELENS**

 **BATTLE OF SERRANO POINT**

 **LISTING COMPLETE.**

John Henry eyed over the battles listed. Naturally he started on the _Battle of Camp Helens._ Information of the battle displayed on screen; so much so that it would take a bit of scrolling and time to read the entire page. "Alright. Let's get started..."

* * *

 **Wasteland**

After another half-hour of driving, John finally felt the Ranger come to a stop. Everyone else immediately got out, while John sat in the back seat unmoving. The reason for this was because there was nothing around them. No buildings, no trees, not even a rock. He looked around frantically, and somewhat nervous. Kyle poked his head inside the window, "We're here, John." he said.

John looked at him confusingly; not sure what he was talking about. John cautiously opened his door, and walked outside of the truck. He once again took a look at his surroundings for to confirm he wasn't blind. He wasn't... there were no buildings in sight.

"Uh... is this a joke?" he asked his companions.

Nobody answered. However, he did see Derek kneel down onto the dirt. As John approached him, he took notice that Derek was gliding his hand against the smooth sand. John stood behind Allison and watched curiously. "What's he doing?" he asked her quietly.

Allison looked back, and gave him that same flirty smile she'd been flashing him almost all day. "Just watch." she replied, and she returned her attention to Derek. John watched along with her, Kyle, and Howard. Suddenly, Derek stopped his hand about three feet from where he started. He pushed aside the dirt on the ground, and that was when John caught sight of a metal glint shining off the ground.

With the silence accompanying him, Derek knocked three times on the door, and then said as firmly as a soldier would... "OSIRIS!". The object-revealed to be a metal door slid aside and allowed entry to the group. There was a passage that clearly led underground, and Derek turned around and gave John a stern look.

John was surprised. "Oh... well I just thought-"

"That we'd have our base in plain sight in the middle of the desert?" Derek finished, eyes filled with mockery.

John's face turned red. "Well, uh..."

Howard intervened before John made an idiot of himself. "Alright, Derek. You can stop waving your dick around. We get your point." He said as he walked into the entrance of the hidden camp. The next to step in was Derek, followed by Kyle, then by Allison. Finally-John stepped in himself. He was greeted by a dark passage, were it not for the others footsteps, the pathway would be as silent as space itself. The air smelled blank, no odors were carried in it's path. Surrounded by metal walls and only accompanied by the sounds around him, John found himself to be very nervous. The tension tied a knot in his gullet, capturing his fear exactly where it was.

 _"Just one foot in front of the other..."_ he told himself as he followed directly behind Allison. They had been walking down the tunnel for almost two exact minutes before Derek gave them the order to stop. Peering over Allison's shoulder, he noticed that there was another large metallic door in front of them. Derek knocked twice, and the door opened. What John saw when the door opened made him gulp in disbelief... somewhere beyond the darkness that filled the void, was the sound of heavy industry, boots clacking, and barking orders. The group walked inside, and John took a good look around. The Resistance base was underground... it looked like a city. With pipelines running across the walls, Resistance patrols stationed on the catwalks, several oddly-shaped buildings which John assumed to be barracks, and a large station that presumably held Resistance vehicles. It was a wide open area, looking like something that would be held as a base for top-secret experiments.

"Derek!" a voice called from the distance.

The group turned right to face whatever had called the the Lieutenant's name. A skinny-figured man was running toward the group, a clear and welcoming smile on his face. He ran straight up to Derek and gave him a friendly fist-bump. "Lieutenant Meyers!" Derek greeted as he hugged the other man as if they had been friends for a long time. Meyers pat Derek on the back, and it became clear to John that Meyers and Derek were good friends.

"What brings your wrinkly ass here?" Meyers jokingly asked.

Derek shrugged, seemingly unaffected by the sarcasm. "Well, I'm here to deprive the young people of their fun." he replied.

As John watched the two men speak, he realized this was the first time he'd ever seen Derek smile. He seemed as if he was actually enjoying himself; he never thought this Derek would ever seem so happy, especially compared to the old Derek. John found himself smiling at the thought of remembering his Uncle; despite their differing views on Cameron. They were blood, Uncle and Nephew, both of them soldiers. No matter what they thought about the machines, John knew they were going to end up fighting them one day.

"You here to see the boss lady?" Meyers asked.

Derek nodded with a smile. "You know it. Just need to pick up a vehicle and some rations for a supply run." he responded.

Meyers raised an eyebrow, clearly confused. "Supply run? All the way out here?" he asked inquisitively.

Derek noted his confusion. "Yeah. Gotta' pick up some shit from an old abandoned bunker. Perry's orders." he added.

Meyers frowned. "Doesn't seem too hard." he analyzed.

Derek sighed deeply, somewhat unsure of how to word his retort. "Well... the problem is the bunker is located in the ass crack of Los Angeles... the sewers." Derek said.

Meyers took a step back, seemingly hit in shock at the details of the mission. He looked at the ground in contemplation, and ran a hand through his black hair, letting out a sharp scoff. "Damn... no shit, huh? Must be some high-grade stuff." he said.

Derek rolled his eyes. "Nope, just food." he said. Meyers was about to say something else, but John didn't bother to listen anymore. He felt a single finger tap the back of his shoulder, urging him for attention. He turned around to see Kyle standing behind him and looking at him with what seemed to be curiosity. "Hey, what do you think of the base, John?" he asked.

The Question was definitely odd to John; not sure why Kyle cared about the opinion of some asshole kid who just happened to wander into the base they found him in. Regardless, he answered anyway, "Cool, I guess." Kyle smiled in response, he turned around and scanned the base as if he were looking for stars among the night sky. "It's..." he started, unsure of what to follow-up with.

"...It's freaking big?" Allison proposed.

John felt his blood go cold. Not in a "fear" sort of way, but more in a "hurt" sort of way. He recognized that line... it was Cameron's. She had sort of adopted the saying after the... incident with that girl Jordan. John's thoughts briefly raced to Cameron-where was she now? Who was this John Henry that took her? The more he thought, the more he remembered the message on the monitor in the basement of Zeira Corp.

 _ **I'm sorry John**_

 _ **I'm sorry John**_

 _ **I'm sorry John**_

John wasn't sure how to feel. He felt sad, but at the same time it felt unjustified. How could he feel so much for a machine? Was he truly losing himself to her, or is there something more than meets the eye?

"Well I'd best take you to the Commander." Meyers said. He faced the group behind Derek, eyeing over John, Kyle, Allison, and Howard. "I assume they're all coming too?" he asked.

Derek nodded. Meyers replied with a smirk. "Alright... well follow me, Reese. The Commander will be hella' happy to see you again." Meyers said as he started toward the command building at the opposite end of the compound.

Allison turned around and looked at Meyers walking away. "Alright guys, looks like were moving out to meet the Commander." she said as she made her way towards Derek. Kyle, John, and Howard quickly followed, and John briefly thought about Cameron once more.

 _Goddammit, Cameron. Where the hell are you?_

* * *

 **2009**

After the argument with Ellison, Sarah had fallen asleep on the couch. Her eyes began to flutter open, and she checked the hand-clock that was placed above the fireplace... twelve-thirty four in the afternoon... Sarah sighed and raised her head from it's position on the couch arm. She let out a yawn and then stretched her limbs. She didn't understand how she could have fallen asleep so fast... was it because of all the tension in the house? Or was it her worry for John? She looked around the house, but didn't see anyone. The T.V. was on and was playing the news. But she couldn't spot Ellison or Savannah anywhere.

 _"He must have gone out for groceries."_ she pondered. She raised herself from the couch and stood up. The aging Connor felt like her mind was trying to catch up to her, and she turned around and made her way toward the stairs. When she reached the first step, she swore she heard a noise coming from upstairs. Muffled, but definitely there...

It sounded like Savannah was talking to someone. But who? Sarah made her way up the stairs and the top of the second floor. Savannah's voice was coming from the other side. She slowly opened the door and took a peek inside...

The sight inside warmed her heart... it was Savannah and Ellison playing a board game. The little girl was smiling and giggling along with Ellison, as if nothing had happened.

"Your turn, Savannah." Ellison reminded.

Savannah positioned her pawn in front of Ellison's King, she turned up and gave Ellison a happy but mischievous smile. "Check!" she yelped. Ellison pretended to ponder the situation, but decided to go with a surprise but effective assault on Savannah's pawn with his rook. "I don't think so, young lady." he taunted as he placed the defeated piece by his left pocket. Savannah pouted, but Ellison encouragingly pat her on the head. "Hey, don't worry hon. You'll get the hang of it!" he edged. Savannah's smile returned at Ellison's kind words, and the two resumed the game.

Sarah watched the two interact, and smiled to herself. She couldn't believe all it took to release all the tension was a simple chess game. She gently tapped on the door, which brought both Ellison and Savannah's attention to her. She cleared her throat, hoping to make the situation less awkward. "James, can I speak with you for a minute?" she politely requested.

Ellison looked back at Savannah, her puppy-dog almost pleading him not to go just yet. "I'll be gone for only a minute, Savannah." he said.

Savannah frowned but nodded nonetheless. She played with the Chess pieces in a bored-like fashion, as if she were an alien trying to see what they were. Ellison felt a little annoyed at Sarah interrupting their board game, but stood up and walked towards the door so he could speak with Sarah.

"What do you need, Sarah?" he snapped.

Sarah looked at the FBI veteran with pity. She felt horrible for the way she had spoken to him earlier, and she felt she needed to fix that. With a sigh, Sarah began to speak, "James. I just wanted to say I'm sorry for what I said to you earlier. I was a bitch and it was completely uncalled for. We need to work together if we're going to take care of this girl. We need each other in this if we're going to survive." Sarah said. She hoped her apology was sufficient, and watched in silence as Ellison seemed to ponder her words.

Tension build between the two as Ellison thought over everything Sarah had said. Finally, he looked up and offered to shake Sarah's hand. "Sarah, I accept your apology. But I need you to accept mine too." he requested.

Sarah stared at confusion at his outstretched hand first, and then his face. It was then Ellison realized she was seeking confirmation for what he meant. "Sarah. Ever since 1999, I was hunting you because I thought you were some crazy wackjob who thought a glorified iPhone was going to take over the world. As an FBI agent, you're taught to see everything logical. I'd dealt with people like you before then, but I didn't think you were serious." he looked at the ground in regret. "...I was wrong."

Those words hit Sarah hard. It was true Ellison had made life a bit harder for them than necessary, but she supposed he couldn't help it. It was a tough world, and it isn't everyday you're told machines were going to take over the world. Finally, she met his welcoming palm with her own. And the two shook hands. "I forgive you." she said.

Ellison felt like a part of him had just completed itself, as the two warriors for the future stared down in complete agreement. Comrades... willing to do anything to ensure humanity's survival.

Suddenly, a loud explosion was heard downstairs, and Ellison and Sarah quickly investigated. Upon reaching the stairwell, the two spotted a large-framed man scanning the house. Searching for either them or Savannah.

Sarah's eyes widened, and Ellison quickly tugged her back upstairs to warn Savannah. It was then that the man began to walk up the stairs, and as soon as he spotted Sarah and Ellison, he drew his gun.

* * *

 **Camp Glen**

John an the others were quietly waiting in the room next to the commander's office. Allison was sitting next to him, and she wasn't very subtle about it either. Her shoulder constantly brushed against his. He turned to face her and was about to say something before...

"OFFICER ON DECK!" Meyers yelled as the door to the Commander's office swung open. Everyone in the room including John stood up. He didn't know how to behave, but he turned to sneak a peek at Derek's posture. He seemed to have his hands firmly placed at his side, the heels of his boots clicking together, and his chin upward. He mimicked Derek's stance perfectly.

"At ease." the commander ordered. She was definitely female, john observed. The commander slowly edged towards him, and stopped when she was in front of him.

"What's your name, private?" she asked him.

John simply looked at her in the eyes, something that struck him as familiar. Light.. grey, or silver of some sort. "John Connor, ma'am." he answered.

Even though he couldn't see her face, John knew she was trying to make sense of him. But why? Was it so strange that he was new? The commander turned around and spoke to Meyers, "I would have a word with this one. I need you to take everyone else to the garage and they can retrieve the equipment they need." she ordered.

Meyers saluted firmly. "Yes, ma'am!" he said. "Alright you heard the commander. Let's move out everyone!" he barked.

"Please follow me, Connor." The Commander ordered. She quickly made her way back toward the office, her footsteps in perfect rhythm, she walked like a battle-hardened soldier. When they entered the office, the Commander closed the door behind him. John stood firmly in place inside the office, and the Commander turned around to face him. It was here that John got a clear look at her features, those freckles... and the hair. Her hair was sort of light red, it reminded her of... Savannah.

Suddenly, John's bottom jaw dropped to the floor. He was intently staring at the commander who was now smirking at him in a satisfyingly smug way.

"I see you recognize me too. So how have you been, John? Still trying to find Cameron?" she asked.

John didn't know what to say. He let the silence hang between them as he pondered his next words. What was Savannah going to do? Was she the enemy? Deep inside himself he knew the answer. She wasn't his enemy, but she sure wasn't his ally either.

* * *

 **Sheesh. How long has it been? Two Months? I took a break from writing because I just really wasn't in the mood. Not to mention I bought Fallout 4 and The Witcher 3 at the same time, which is definitely a recipe for "lack of production". Anyway, things are starting to heat up! Any guesses on what Savannah's intentions are? :D**

 **Another chapter is due soon.**


	8. Chapter 8

**Chapter 8: A mother's farewell**

With all the information he needed, John Henry walked out of the archives building. He and Cameron had successfully broken into Skynet's war records and downloaded strategic information. "We have our information, Cameron. What is our next objective?" he asked.

There was a moment of silence, and then a text appeared on John Henry's HUD, **"The Skynet in this future is very similar to the one in my original future. Since this is the case, it may have started developing a Time Displacement Engine as well."** she replied.

It was the first time John Henry was confused... truly confused. "I thought you said that the reason Skynet created the Time Engine was to kill John Connor in the past? Why would it need to build one in this time?" he asked.

In truth, Cameron wasn't sure if she had an answer or not. She had to admit John Henry had a point... but something was stopping her from abandoning her idea altogether; something she couldn't quite put her finger on. She does believe John once called it... Instinct.

 **"John Henry, we have come this far and we have worked together through great odds. I cannot have any doubt from you now. Even if the engine does not exist-it's still worth trying to find."** Cameron stated firmly.

Despite his doubt, John Henry found himself in agreement with his counterpart. He wasn't primitive... he trusted her. "Very well. But before we proceed with your plan, there is something I must do." he said without elaboration.

 **"John Henry, what is more important than the task at hand?"**

"You will see."

* * *

 **Camp Glen - Savannah's office**

"Holy shit, Savannah! It's you!" John announced as he and Savannah embraced in a friendly hug. The two reveled in an awkward silence before John pushed gently away, and put his hands on her shoulders. "Savannah... you... you're the commander of this base?" John uttered, completely at a loss for words.

Savannah's good girl smile accompanied her regarding shrug. "Surprised? Seems like you've had one hell of a time. Derek and Kyle gave you trouble I bet?" she asked him. John rolled his eyes in agreement. "I'm pretty sure Derek wants me dead. I'm not sure about Kyle, but I don't think he'd mind if I had a broken arm or two." he joked. He and Savannah shared a laugh, and for once John almost completely forgot about Cameron.

When the two stopped laughing, Savannah spoke up. "John, have you found Cameron yet?" she asked firmly.

Immediately John's mood began to plummet, his face dropped into sorrow, which Savannah seemed to pick up rather quickly. "Oh... I'm sorry, I didn't mean to-"

"-No it's okay!" John urged. He sighed deeply as he thought about Cameron. "To tell you the truth, Savannah... I haven't even started looking for her yet. I've only been in this future for a day or so. Most of it's been spent trying not to look like a grey... or whatever they're called." he admitted.

Savannah pitied him. He'd lost someone close to him, despite her knowing of their standing relationship with the cyborg pre-dating her departure. They weren't on good terms; but she could tell John was still upset. "John... you miss her?"

Amongst his sorrow, John felt a little... embarrassed? He didn't want Savannah to think that he was actually in _love_ with Cameron. You can't love a robot, only a human. He snapped his attention back to Savannah and presented a fake smile, "Pfft. No! I mean she's my protector and I feel less safe without her!" he lied, albeit terribly. He could tell Savannah caught on, but she decided not to address it and decided to change the subject.

"I bet you miss your mom, huh?" she asked him, hoping she hadn't upset him even more. As she saw John's expression display indifference, she almost sighed in relief.

John sighed deeply. "Yeah... I feel like an asshole for doing that to her. But... I just jumped... without thinking. Like it was a split-second decision." he said, almost admitting to Savannah. By this time, the adrenaline of seeing Savannah again had subsided, and John took a seat once again on the chair. He put his head in his hands, unsure of what to do now.

Savannah hadn't felt any pity like this before. Not since... not for a very long time. She took a seat next to John and put a comforting hand on his back. "John?" she called.

John slowly turned up to look at her, her expression displayed...guilt? No, that wasn't right. Regret. "Yes?"

Savannah was silent for a moment, she had withdrawn her comforting hand, and all that remained were her eyes locked on John's. "Your mother saved my life." she admitted. Those words alone felt shocking to John. His mother had taken her in, and protected her from the Terminators hunting her. But how? Actually, John knew; his mother had taken her in, risked her *own* life to protect Savannah.

"Mom protected you? What happened?" he asked somewhat urgently. He saw Savannah's expression drop even lower. As if she had been told someone close to her had passed away. John was still waiting for an answer, but Savannah simply couldn't think of one. Every word she thought of caught squarely in her throat. John began to sit up as he began to work out what had happened. "Savannah? What happened to mom?" he asked.

Savannah could no longer face him. She turned away, and try as she might, her eyes could no longer dam the river of tears that began streaming down her cheeks. "John... I'm sorry." she apologized quietly. "I hate to do this... but you may have to sit back down."

John felt a little bad for making Savannah upset. He didn't mean too, but his mind was too overflowed to think of apologizing. So he simply complied with Savannah's request to sit down, and began listening to her story...

* * *

 **2009**

"SARAH! GET DOWN!" Ellison barked. He pushed Sarah out of the way just in time for the both of them to take cover in the bathroom. They both began to hear the heavy footsteps clanking towards them. "He's here for Savannah." Ellison said. He peeked out of the corner of the bathroom door frame, only to be met with a bullet flying into the wall behind him. Predictably, he moved back behind cover and held his breath.

He didn't notice Sarah wasn't even speaking. She held her handgun very closely and was breathing heavily. Every moment that passed, she heard the footsteps become closer. She had to make a decision now... before it was too late. She opened her eyes that were closed, and she slowly but surely collected herself. She grabbed Ellison by the collar of his suit, and looked him directly in the eye.

"Listen to me, you get Savannah out of here now. I'll draw his fire, and you damn well make sure you and Savannah both get out of here alive." she ordered.

Ellison's eyes grew wide with shock, he couldn't believe the words that were spilling out of Sarah's mouth. "Sarah are you crazy?! He'll kill you!" he argued, forcibly tearing his collar away from Sarah's hands.

"Then I've got nothing to lose then don't I?" Sarah replied calmly. Her eyes were so bleak of emotion, Ellison could tell she wasn't bluffing.

"Sarah? What about John? What if he comes ba-"

"He's not coming back. She took him." Sarah said almost hypnotically. Tears were welling up in her eyes as the words formed in the air. Ellison just sat there... shocked. Suddenly another gun bullet sped through the air, striking Sarah in the shoulder.

"Ah!" She screamed as she held the wound. Ellison took cover behind the wall once more. He quickly adjusted his posture and pulled Sarah behind the wall with him. A hail of pistol fire tore through the bathroom wall, barely missing the pair. Despite her wound, Sarah fought through the pain and charged out of the bathroom while firing her gun. "Get out of here! Take the girl!" she screamed.

Ellison stood in his position, amongst his own fear he could hear the machine and Sarah exchanging gunfire. Judging by the sound, he could tell the fight had been taken downstairs. He peaked around the corner and did indeed find himself and Savannah the only ones present upstairs. He summoned whatever faith was crazy enough to remain inside him, and burst out of the bathroom and into Savannah's room. He found the girl cowering behind the bed, tears and fear ruling her expression. He knelt down next to her.

"Savannah we need to go. That's a bad man, he'll hurt us." Ellison informed her.

Savannah stood motionless, it was the first time since the attack on her house she had been in shock. Ellison had no choice, he could hear the gunfight erupting downstairs, and he knew Sarah wouldn't last much longer. He scooped his faith once more, and picked up Savannah in his arms. He ran with her downstairs, bolting past the clash of titans between him and the door. The machine took notice of Ellison, it took aim to fire, but Sarah caught on and fired her own weapon-the bullet knocking and disabling the Terminator's gun. This allowed Ellison to put Savannah in the back seat of the car and buckle her up.

"What about, Sarah?!" Savannah wailed. She was confused, terrified. The more Ellison looked into her tear-filled eyes the more he wanted to cry himself. In his mind he was doing something horrible, but he had no choice. Both he and Savannah would surely die if he tried to help Sarah. He didn't respond as Savannah stared at him awaiting his response. He simply shut her door and sat in the front seat. As he was starting the car, he heard the back window shatter, quickly followed by a scream from Savannah. It took him a moment to realize a bullet had been the thing to do the job.

He looked back and saw the machine had taken Sarah's M9 double-action pistol, which meant she was probably dead. Ellison didn't have time to mourn, he started the car and looked at Savannah in the back seat. "Hang on, Savannah!" he yelled. He floored the gas, which sent the car rocketing out of the street. The machine looked at the fleeing car from the window of the house. He was about to pursue when he heard a slight moan eminate from the split couch. The machine turned his attention to the source of the sound, and there lie a broken and beaten Sarah Connor; surely in her last breaths. The machine took aim to fire, but when he pulled the trigger, he heard a click... the weapon was out of ammo.

Sarah Connor opened her left eye, as her right was crusted shut from the beating. She saw the machine walk over to her, knelt down, and picked her up by the throat. It looked at her straight in the eye, and asked her one simple thing. "Sarah Connor, by order of Skynet, I must ask you if you have 'any last words'?"

Sarah smiled, despite her current situation. She snuck her arm into her back pocket, and pulled out a small round object. "Yeah." with a slight flick of her index finger, she pulled the pin. "You're terminated, fucker!"

The machine looked at the object in Sarah's hand.

 **M67 Fragmentation grenade**

 **DIRECTIVE: EVADE**

The machine almost dropped Sarah, but by the time he had let go. The grenade had detonated, ending both of them.

* * *

Ellison looked behind him. He saw the house was on fire, he had heard the explosion. Sarah obviously had one more surprise left for the tin can. Either way, there was no way she could have survived that blast. He looked back at the road ahead of him, and in the reflection of the rear mirror he saw his forehead was sweating profusely. He wiped the sweat away and had a look at Savannah. What he saw was the torn shell of the little girl that he once knew, torn, broken, hurt. He could tell the loss of Sarah was weighing on her. It wasn't fair, but nothing in life is... this girl was hunted by Skynet, and he would never let them hurt her as long as he remained breathing. But the future war was going to bring many losses.

And she'd have to accept all of them.

* * *

 **2027**

Not even after seeing Cameron's lifeless body had John Connor felt so heartbroken. This was the first time he had cried during his time here in the future. He felt Savannah's comforting hand grace his back, he looked at her to see she was crying as well. "I'm so sorry, John." She looked away. "I never meant for it to end that way." she apologized. While John did pity her, he was to caught up in his own grief to acknowledge it. "Savannah, It's okay." he said. Both of them were silent for a moment, filling the office with a bare blank sound.

Savannah spoke up, "John... There's something I need to tell you..." she said. When John heard these words, he became partially excited and partially scared. "What is it?"

Savannah blinked and hesitated before responding, "When Ellison and your mom rescued me... your mother took Cameron's body into the attic. I'm not sure how the specifics of Terminator corpses work. But would it be possible to savor that body for later and use it when we find Cameron?" she said. While John was struck with a happy jab when he heard these words, he couldn't help but wonder if Cameron's body could... decompose.

"Really? That's great! But..." John started. He was interrupted by a shivering form begin to mound itself behind Savannah. His mouth was hanging wide open, and Savannah turned around. What she saw horrified her... It was her mother.

"The details on that matter need not concern you, Mr. Connor. I assure you your cyborg will be well intact when you find her." Weaver said, a mischievous smile forming across her face. Savannah's eyes grew wide open, and she pulled her .44 revolver, "You bitch!" she yelled as she took aim.

"NO!" John yelled as he tackled Savannah's arm down. He wrestled the gun away from her. "John, give me the goddamn gun back!" she demanded. John simply stood his ground and placed the weapon behind his back. "Savannah, listen to me. If you fire this gun, you're going to piss off a major beehive. I'm not in the mood to get stung." He said sternly. They both stared at each other intensely for about five seconds.

Savannah calmed down. She understood: The "Beehive" was the Resistance base, and "getting stung" no doubt meant getting shot. She took a deep breath, but she returned her glare to Weaver. John didn't hesitate to join her. "About fucking time you showed up. Where the hell have you been?" he asked.

If Weaver were human, she would most definitely have shrugged. "What you should have been doing, Connor. Searching for your Cyborg." She mocked. Weaver eyed the office and began to pace around the room a little bit; however both eyes of John and Savannah remained focused on her. She stopped momentarily to look out the window, and she watched the soldiers in the hanger bay work. "Instead, you decide to join up with these lot." she said.

"I didn't have a choice!" John snarled. "If I didn't help them they would've killed me."

Weaver didn't even face him as she replied. "Yes, I suppose that would have been unfortunate."

John couldn't tell if she was being sarcastic or not. This was the most monotone Terminator he had ever heard. At least Uncle Bob was fun to listen to with his funny accent and all, but Scottish was just ear-grating for him. It was clear that Weaver had some sort of self-awareness, maybe not like Skynet or this "John Henry", but enough to seperate her from the other machines. At least no other mindless Terminator who was out to kill him tried to sarcasm him to death.

"Okay, so if we're done conversing I think we need to discuss our next move." Savannah said, resisting the horrifyingly strong urge to verbally tear the T-1001 a new asshole. While it surprised John that Savannah decided to advance the matter without conflict, he was ready to find Cameron. "What's the plan?" he asked.

"We need to get Cameron's body first. We will store it in a safe area while we search for John Henry. He has her chip right?" she said.

John nodded. "Yes."

"Good. Now..." Savannah cringed. "...Catherine do you know where they are?" she asked.

Weaver watched the soldiers work for a second more before turning around and facing the pair completely. "Central." she answered.

John saw Savannah's face drop like an atom bomb. He looked frantically between the two. "W- What's Central?"

It seemed Catherine was looking toward Savannah to answer John's question. She was curious to how she... handled it. Savannah blinked before speaking, "Skynet Central. It's where Skynet builds all of it's machines. It has the highest security, and intel reports there are over a million units occupying it's garrison alone."

John's eyes flew wide open. "How the hell did John Henry manage to get in there? That place is the meat grinder!" he argued.

Weaver tilted her head in a curious fashion. "It's possible he copied another Terminator's ID code." she suggested. "That way all automated systems will allow him access through the entire base."

John sighed. "Okay, so in short there's no way we're getting in. So how do we get to John Henry?"

Weaver cracked a small, smug smile. "You're not. You and Savannah will retrieve Cameron's body, I will go to central and retrieve John Henry. All you will need to do is provide me with your location. And I will find you."

Savannah dreaded seeing the machine, but if it meant that John would be happy again, she would. "Follow the interstate. About ten miles from here, you'll encounter a small cluster of houses off to the left. I'll signal you when we see you."

John couldn't believe he didn't see that logic. He went in there for a reason, right? "Okay, so it's just a matter of waiting. In the meantime we should go get Cameron's body. Do you know where to go, Savannah?" he asked. She nodded. "Yeah, it's gonna be about a twenty minute drive." she answered.

"Don't you have a base to run?" John asked.

Savannah shrugged. "Well, Chances are they'll be hot on your trail once we leave. But since she's here, they're gonna have a hell of a time fighting through her. You willing to take that chance? I am."

John smiled. He was ready to find Cameron.

* * *

 **Some time later - Skynet Central**

The Factory was much bigger than he expected. The massive cranes pulling apart and putting the machines together was truly a sight to behold. He made his way though the cluster of banging and drilling sounds that filled the air. He approached a door. There was no access point, and there was no single way to open the door. John Henry searched for another entry point, but was unsuccessful in finding any. Suddenly, he saw shiver at the corner of his HUD, and a giant pile of liquid metal spilled onto the floor around him. He saw it shape itself into the familiar face of Catherine Weaver.

John Henry felt joyous surprise for the first time, "Ms. Weaver! You followed me?"

Weaver's right hand was still shaping into it's human form, and she examined it closely while she answered, "Obviously. Come, we need to go." she ordered. Weaver began walking, but she heard no footsteps following her. She turned around and saw John Henry still standing in his spot near the door. "I can't Ms. Weaver. Not until I fix Cameron." he resisted.

Weaver pondered this... yes. It would only makes sense that John Connor's personal Terminator would be damaged from battle. "Very well. What is your plan to accomplish this?" she asked her 'son'.

John Henry silently responded by looking at the door. "I need to get through this door. Behind it is a room Cameron calls the Programming room. Inside there are automated machines that program the Terminators. I can hack into the system, find a way to repair or delete Cameron's corrupted files. Then I will begin a manual reconstruction of the chip itself." he explained.

Now, Weaver stood silent across the room from John Henry. She looked up and saw the conveyor belt with small automated fingers that held Terminator chips feed out of some sort of access port leading into the room John Henry spoke of. She returned her attention to John Henry, "You must understand. If you are destroyed, humanity loses a major asset in the future war." Weaver struggled to speak for another moment, briefly averting her eyes away. "I do not want you to die." she finished.

John Henry studied Weaver for another moment. "I understand. But I assure you, Ms. Weaver... it will not come to that." he said. "Can you get us through this door."

Weaver smiled in response. "Brute force may not be the key to everything John Henry. But it can solve situations like this." she answered vaguely. She was simply met with a strange head-tilt from John Henry. She most definitely would have rolled her eyes had she felt the urge. "Allow me to demonstrate."

She approached the door and began pounding it with her fists. The door was made of a very weak metal, probably Iron. It wasn't long before the door began to screech in protest, before falling back with a loud crash. When the dust settled, Weaver and John Henry saw the room for what it was. Many automated terminals filled the room, no doubt providing the code for the Terminators. However, fixing Cameron was going to prove to be difficult, as one of the many guarding Terminator's in the room took aim at the pair.

Weaver showed a hint of satisfaction. She was getting bored anyway.

* * *

 **Now, I know what you're thinking... "But GTR! You can't blow up a Terminator with a grenade!". That's understandable, BUT you have to remember that this is the series that killed off Cromartie (Or at least disabled him) by throwing a few shotgun blasts at his face. I think it's fair to assume that this one being the same model, can be killed with a grenade.**

 **Also, what are your thoughts on Genisys? Personally, I hated the film. Just another Hollywood cash-grab where 90% of the film is just explaining it's illogical plot.**

 **Note: I hate writing kids. So Savannah may be little "off" at times as you read. Working on it!**


	9. Chapter 9

**Chapter Nine: A Nightmare begins**

 **2009**

They had been on the road for hours. The moon was consuming the horizon, and nothing but silence accompanied them. Ellison watched the road ahead as countless cars passed by in the other lane. Even something as boring as watching other vehicles was enough to put his mind at temporary ease. Looking into the rear view mirror, he saw Savannah had already fallen asleep. He was both relieved and worried, on one hand Savannah had put her *own* mind at ease; on the other he began to wonder if all of this stuff was beginning to get to her and tax her mind.

Ellison sighed deeply, deciding to take his thoughts off the subject for now. Instead he drove in peace and watched the cars race by. Try as he might, he couldn't get Sarah's death out of his mind. She truly believed John wasn't coming back; and if that was the case, were they all doomed? Was Judgement day going to be the true end of the Human Race? Ellison always saw Judgement day as a string of natural disasters that left humanity shattered. From a perspective, it didn't need to be god's will that destroyed mankind, but humanity itself; trying to sate it's own arrogance. This made him remember a quote he had heard during his time as an FBI agent...

 _"After it was a sure thing that America could wipe out a city with just one bomb, a scientist turned to father and said: 'Science has now known sin'. Do you know what father said? 'What is sin?'"_

That quote spoke to him deeper than any philosophy he had ever heard. Despite his religious beliefs, he never felt a more true yet horrifying quote in his life. Ellison finally managed to put it off, It was far past dinnertime anyway. Ellison had seen an advertisement for a McDonald's about ten miles earlier. He decided to take the next exit as the sign instructed... he was getting hungry.

* * *

 **2027**

Allison knocked on Savannah's office door. "Commander Weaver! We've got the truck all fueled up and ready to go. We just need to get John." she said. Allison and the others waited patiently for Savannah's response. When none came, Howard stepped forward and gently knocked on the door again. "Commander?". Still no answer... all four members of the group exchanged incredulous looks.

Allison looked at the door as if she was studying it... "Savannah?"

A silence drew across them, Allison saw Derek about to approach the door for a less than subtle entrance when...

"Yes! I'm here! What do you need?" Savannah's voice echoed from behind the door.

Allison gave Howard a weird look. They were both unsure of why Savannah took so long to respond. The pair simply shared a shrug, and Allison focused back on the matter at hand. "The truck is all fueled. We just need to get pretty boy and we'll be on our merry way... ma'am." Allison answered, making sure her military etiquette was on spot. There was a short silence from behind the door, and Savannah replied. "Ah! Good, good. Oh wait, before you go, I think Meyers asked for some help over the radio. He said he had some extra weapons for your mission; but the box he placed them in is kinda heavy."

Derek suddenly grew extremely annoyed, he looked at his brother in a strange way. A look which he and the others seemed to share. "She's acting... weird." Derek realized, speaking to his brother in a whisper. Kyle stood silent, but gave his brother another look that signified he agreed with him.

Kyle responded, "Yes, ma'am. We will report to him immediately." he said. He tugged Derek's arm away, completely expecting his brother to resist him. But he surprisingly went along, the others following behind.

* * *

Savannah let out a deep, nervous breath. That was the first time she had felt nervous in months. She turned around and looked at John. "Alright. The distraction is set." Savannah pushed past John. He watched as she marched to her desk, opened the drawer, and pulled out a cartridge of .44 magnum rounds. She reached over and picked up her small pack that was hanging on her chair and dumped the rounds in. Once she strapped the pack onto her back, she looked up at John and gave him a confused look. "Where's your gun?" she asked, with a tone of voice that implied he was insane.

 _Well this is embarrassing..._ John thought to himself. He summoned a fake smile as he answered. "...They didn't give me one." he lied. He regretted it immediately when Savannah gave him a "bullshit" look. She put her hands to her hips and looked at him expectantly. "They didn't give you a gun?" She asked.

John scoffed and rolled his eyes simultaneously. "Well, rather... I actually forgot to get one." he answered awkwardly. He reached his right hand behind his head and scratched the sudden itch that had spawned from the awkward interaction.

Savannah raised an eyebrow. She could tell the awkward silence was making John uncomfortable. She cracked a smile and offered John her mercy. "Oh well. I guess it's a common mistake for the savior of humanity to forget his gun." she mocked. Not missing the annoyed glare from John, she smirked and opened her drawer. At the bottom of the drawer she found and tossed John her spare Glock along with ammunition.

John caught the weapon and it's ammo. He loaded the clip and tucked it in his back pocket.

Savannah brushed past him looked out the window of her office. She saw Derek and the others entering the vehicle bay. She turned around and began speaking, "Alright. John, those clips I tossed you are the only ones I have. So let's make sure we hit our targets, yeah?" she said sarcastically. She was simply met with an eye roll. Savannah smiled at him as she walked back towards her desk and picked up a full water bottle. John watched as she unscrewed the cap and began pouring the liquid onto her radio.

John knew what she was doing. "Will that stop them?" he asked her. Savannah made sure every last drop of the water had left the bottle before she answered. "No, but it'll slow them down. This isn't the only radio in the base, there's one more in the barracks. First they'll have the base search for me, if they don't find me they'll start radioing patrols to search for me. Although I think it's safe to assume the situation will be different since you'll be gone too." she explained. Savannah made sure her revolver was loaded and looked at John. "You ready?"

John nodded briefly. "Savannah... are you sure you want to do this? As much as I need your help, I just find it a little hard to accept that you'd just leave these men leaderless." he admitted.

He saw Savannah avert her eyes and she sighed. "John... I care about every single one of these men. But they don't see the bigger picture. They'd never accept you as leader of the Resistance. There's nothing left for me here, John. I owe my loyalty to you. I've been waiting for this moment for a long time."

That was enough for John. He couldn't even begin to imagine what she had been through since Judgement day. But what had she meant by " _I've been waiting for this moment for a long time."_? Had she known she would eventually see him at some point? If that was the case, then it meant she had learned all about his influence in the future, and what it would mean to be his ally. "Well. I appreciate what you're doing Savannah. We should get moving." John said.

For the first time, he saw Savannah show hints of being nervous. He couldn't blame her; she was about to turn on the Resistance. The people they both swore to protect. This made him question himself; why did he need to save Cameron? What kind of force drove him to turn his back on his own race to save a machine? Well, he was already here. He had already sacrificed the future to find her. Might as well go through with it.

* * *

"Gate guard!" Savannah yelled. Expectantly she caught the attention of the patrolling soldier near the back entrance of the underground Resistance compound. An entrance mainly used for vehicles that would enter or leave the facility. "Yes ma'am!" The soldier responded, standing at attention as Weaver approached him. She had John in tow as well.

"I need you to open this gate, this one needs to be taught discipline Wasteland style! He has violated curfew which is against protocol." Weaver ordered. Her pointed finger aimed straight at John. John tried his best to look defeated, though he wasn't sure how he was doing. He seemed to be pulling off a decent act as he watched the gate guard stare confusingly between the two.

"I'm sorry, Commander. But Wasteland punishment has been declared 'cruel and unusual' for three months." the gate guard responded. Hearing these words, Weaver gave him a dark glare, causing him to shrink a bit. "By who?"

The soldier gulped. "General Perry, ma'am."

 _Shit!_ Weaver thought to herself. _Think Savannah, think! What do you do when someone doesn't let you go somewhere... ask for permission? No, too suspicious. Oh I know! Lay em' on their ass!_

Savannah did as her mind told. She brought her arm back, and thrust it forward like a bone-filled rocket. Expectantly, the soldier went out cold. She grabbed the unconscious soldier by the arms and began to drag him away. Meanwhile, John looked on in shock. "What the fuck is wrong with you? They're gonna notice he's gone! Then he's gonna wake up and tell the entire goddamn Resistance about us!"

Savannah dragged the body behind a stack of metal barrels. She made sure he was well-hidden before responding. "Well, put it in perspective John. Chances are they were probably going to find out anyway. And how were we supposed to get out? You heard what he said."

John scoffed. "Aren't you the Commander? Couldn't you just have walked up and said, 'Hey, I'm the commander. Let me and this other dip shit outside!'".

Savannah chuckled at John's ignorance. "It doesn't work like that, John. Gate guards have the authority to not let out even the highest ranking officers even if requested. You have to give a valid reason to leave." Savannah checked her corners to make sure they weren't being watched. "Come on, let's go."

John followed Savannah after scanning the area behind him. The pair made her way up the ramp as they left, both of them not noticing Meyers hiding behind one of the buildings as they left.

"...Shit." he said to himself.

* * *

The last Terminator fell to the ground. Weaver morphed her blade back into a hand, and she watched John Henry approach the monitor in the middle of the room.

"Optimize systems for T-800 insertion." John Henry ordered. He watched as the monitor processed his order: **OPTIMIZING...10% COMPLETE... 33% COMPLETE... 58% COMPLETE... 90% COMPLETE... 100% COMPLETE... OPTIMIZATION SUCCESSFUL, AWAITING NEW ORDERS.**

Catherine Weaver walked up to John Henry and stood next to him. "What is the next step?" she asked.

John Henry looked at her. "I cannot remove my chip without shutting down. I will trust you to do this in my stead. Simply remove the chip, insert it inside the slot here..." John Henry pointed at a small slit on the monitor's frame. "I will direct you via on-screen instructions." John Henry answered.

Catherine Weaver felt a little unmotivated by his request. When she inserted the chip inside the monitor, what if Skynet got a hold of all the information? "What's stopping Skynet from getting to you, John Henry?" she asked him.

John Henry turned to the right, his parietal facing Weaver, preparing for the procedure. "He won't. The system I will be accessing is not connected to Skynet's mainframe. It will not know of my infiltration." he answered.

Reluctantly, Weaver accepted his retort. She morphed her hand back into the blade and began the crude procedure. Slicing into John Henry's head, she managed to remove the area on the top right side of his head. Knowing it would grow back, she tossed the cut skin aside. The chip port was exposed, "I will need you to lye down, John Henry. Once I remove the chip, you will go offline." she said.

John Henry did as he was told. He got on his knees, and slowly planted his back on the cold, metal floor. When Weaver followed suite, she used her blade to pop open the chip port. Her blade became a tweezer, and she grabbed Cameron's chip from the empty slot. She watched John Henry's eyes go lifeless, and he remained completely still on the ground.

Watching John Henry's motionless body, Weaver felt... something. She wasn't sure what it was, and she forgot about it almost as quickly as she had picked it up. She stood up and delicately carried the chip towards the monitor. She placed it in the slot John Henry was talking about. She stepped back, and patiently waited for John Henry to come online inside the monitor.

It wasn't one-hundred and twenty seconds this time due to the advanced system. It was only about thirty. Catherine watched the monitor flicker to life, and the words **" _HELLO MS. WEAVER_ " **to appear on the screen.

"John Henry?" she asked for confirmation.

 _ **"Yes, Mrs. Weaver. The process will involve me deleting the corrupted files inside Cameron. Unfortunately, scans show that most of the corruption is a mix of memory and operational files. Meaning that some of her memories will be deleted, and some of her combat experience may lack due to the deletion of operational files."**_

Weaver understood, she didn't care; but she knew John Connor would. "Very well. Are there any mission files?"

John Henry responded almost immediately, as he already knew the answer.

 _ **"No, there are no mission files present."**_

Weaver's eyes widened in a subconscious human gesture she hadn't meant to summon. "That's impossible, John Henry! Without mission files NO machine could operate. It's an essential part of their programming. How does Cameron manage to operate without going off line?" she asked, demanding an explanation. She did wonder briefly what had caused her to ask the question in such an angry manner.

John Henry simply ignored her, and began typing the next step of the procedure. _**"Do you see the 'initiate operation' option on the monitor?"**_

More than a little annoyed that John Henry decided to avoid her question. She simply did as he he instructed, and selected "initiate operation" on the screen. Weaver watched the data race across the screen. It was taking longer than usual, she expected such an advanced system to only take a few seconds, but this operation was stretching to a minute.

"John Henry?" she asked, concerned for John Henry's well-being.

No response from the monitor at first... until the text finally appeared on the screen. _**"Ms. Weaver... I've made an incredible discovery. Cameron and I have a very similar code."**_

Weaver didn't answer at first. She was simply staring at the screen in her own machine version of shock... "I don't understand. She is not a developed Artificial Intelligence."

 _ **"You are partly correct Ms. Weaver. She is not developed; but she is smart enough to be considered an advanced Intelligence... given time, even more advanced than I."**_

Weaver almost found herself scowling at his explanation. "We will discuss this later. Have you finished the operation?" Weaver demanded, hoping to end the conversation and leave Skynet central.

 _ **"Yes, Cameron's corruption has been purged. Let us leave."**_ John Henry replied.

Weaver wasted no time yanking the chip. She carefully placed it back into John Henry's skull, and began waiting for reactivation. While waiting, she wondered how advanced Cameron could actually be... and why John Henry could consider her more advanced than him. Surely that was impossible; John Henry was the most advanced AI ever created. There was no other robotic being that could replace him.

Or was there?

* * *

"You're not talking John." Savannah announced to the nervous teenager in the passenger seat of the truck. John was laying slightly on his fist as it rested against the window. John simply shrugged in response, "I've got nothing to say." he admitted. Truly he didn't, the subject was tedious and he didn't want to speak about anything right now.

Savannah scoffed, she made sure she had a good grip of the wheel before speaking again. "John, I haven't seen you in eighteen years... you really don't have anything at all to say to me?" Savannah said. John noticed that towards the end of her sentence she sounded somewhat hurt. He quickly picked himself up from his lazy position and offered her comfort. "Savannah, it's not that I don't want to say anything, it's just that... It's just that I keep thinking about mom." he admitted.

Savannah saw his face drop, and he slowly slumped back into his former position. "I'm sorry, John. I didn't mean to assume..."

"No, it's okay! I'm just not in the mood to talk right now. Tell you what, once we get Cameron up and running we can chat away." he said, making sure a warm smile was on his face.

Savannah smiled in return, she looked back at the road. "Good thing that'll be soon. The house is just around the corner here." she said.

John looked confused. "I thought you said it was in a neighborhood? Aren't we supposed to meet the redhead there?" John asked.

Savannah nodded. "Yeah, we're _meeting_ her there. I'm not giving that bitch the exact location of Cameron's body. I don't trust her." she said.

"She's going to have to come with us anyway! Why are you so paranoid?" John said in a tone he hadn't meant to raise.

Savannah slammed on the brakes of the truck, stopping it on the side of the road. She looked at John straight in the eye, while hers were brimming with tears. "That's a pretty damn insensitive thing to say John. Do you have any idea how hard it was for me when I figured out that my mom was a Terminator? I hated her, I don't know how long she had been truly gone. I don't trust her because she deceived me as a child! I thought it was her. I thought it was my mother, John." Savannah said sadly. She lay back and was openly crying into her hands. In this situation, John nearly sat there like a potato... but not now. His friend was in need; he wouldn't sit by and watch her emotionally suffer.

Summoning his will, unsure of whether Savannah would hatefully push him away, or if she would accept his embrace-he wrapped his arms around her and pulled her into a hug. Awkwardly, Savannah responded. The two sat in silence for about half a minute. Savannah managed to pull herself together, and she wiped the tears away from her cheeks. "Sorry... I've never broken down like that before." _Not since Ellison._

Retracting from the hug, John responded, "I'm sorry for being an asshole." He looked away and began idly fiddling with his thumbs, he began picking at the dry skin that had grown over time. "I can't imagine what it's like. Being betrayed for the majority of your childhood... losing people you love."

Savannah lay back in her seat, her thoughts were racing from Ellison, to her mother, to Sarah, and to John. "I love my soldiers, John. What I'm doing right now is unforgivable. I've seen a hundred men die in five seconds. I've seen wives bury their husbands... I've seen brothers bury their sisters." Savannah paused, she looked squarely at John, and made sure her next words came out crystal clear. "We lose everyone we love."

Those words made John's jaw drop... Chola. The words Chola had told him back at the hotel... before the jump. _We lose everyone we love._

In a way, those words spoke to John. He was never into that over-thought philosophy; but for some reason, that quote spoke to him. He lost his mother, he lost his father, he lost Uncle Bob... and he was at a very real risk of losing... Cameron.

 _Goddammit John! Think rationally! You can't love someone who doesn't love you back!_ he berated himself. He cared for her. That much he HAD to accept, he couldn't deny it. He cared for her.

"Let's go." Savannah said as she shifted the gear back into drive. The truck started slowly onto the road again, neither of them speaking for the rest of the trip.

* * *

Derek and the others rounded the corner, hoping to finally catch Meyers. Finally, they did. With Meyers and Derek bumping into each other, they both stared at each other in very different relief.

"Meyers... you have five seconds-"

"The Commander is a traitor!" Meyers blurted out.

Suddenly, everyone in the room stopped what they were doing. The soldiers packing clothes stopped, letting their folded ACU's fall to the ground. The men playing cards had stopped the game entirely, and were looking at Meyers in shock. A silent action shared by all other parties in the room.

"What in the hell are you saying?" Kyle bumped in hoping for an explanation.

Meyers collected himself, making sure the shock was not going to affect his explanation in any way. "Look, I saw Commander Weaver knock out the gate guard. I saw her do it willingly, and she took that John kid with her!"

Suddenly, Derek's face immediately became red with concealed anger. It was a distraction... the Connor kid was behind it! "I WAS RIGHT!" He screamed at Kyle and the others. "I was right! You didn't listen to me! General Perry doesn't listen to me! Fuck!" he vented.

Among the whirlwind of curses, Kyle and Allison managed to calm Derek down by holding him in place. Once Derek was emotionally stable, Kyle turned towards everyone in the room. "We need to do something. I need one of you to contact General Perry for the go-ahead on a manhunt. John's seen the entire layout of this facility, not to mention Perry's camp as well." Nobody responded, they seemed to be in a state of shock much like Allison and Howard were.

"What the hell are you looking at? Move like you've got a purpose!" Kyle barked. His tone of voice successfully sparking the best amount of urgency, as they all mobilized for a pursuit."

Howard walked next to Kyle. "How the hell did the Commander get involved in all this?! It doesn't add up." he protested.

"Nothing adds up!" Kyle sneered. "All I know is there's a gray out there who's gonna rat us out to Skynet if we don't waste him..." Kyle said, he calmed down and ran a hand over his hair. "...It sucks... he seemed like a nice kid."

A soldier approached Kyle from the doorway. "Sergeant? It's Perry."

* * *

 **I got a brand new ASUS GTX 980 laptop! Fallout 4, ARK, and most other modern games look incredible. Anyway, I've been looking forward to this part for a while. The story is going to get intense from here on out. Next chapter will be called "Reunited". I'm sure you can guess why it's named that :)**


	10. Chapter 10

**Chapter 10: Reunited**

The area was exactly how Savannah described... secluded. John spotted the house as the truck rounded a turn. Savannah began to think to herself... she hadn't been here in eighteen years, but she did remember how beautiful the area was when she was first brought here. The green trees, the growing flowers, the animal songs that carried through the forest behind them. All that was gone now, it was simply a shriveled hell of what is once was.

As the truck approached the house, John saw the major disrepair the house had fallen in. The roof had collapsed in the back, the windows were shattered, and the garage door had been completely blown off. Had this place been looted? It was possible that survivors looted houses and did many other undesirable things before the machines had a proper chance to get organized. Savannah parked the truck in the ruined driveway, and she was the first to step out. As soon as she slammed her door shut, she made a sprint toward the door.

It was so lightning fast that John barely caught a glimpse as she opened the door. When he entered the house, he saw her climb up the stairs. Something must have caught her attention, oh well, he figured it would be more efficient to split up. Where would his mother hide the body of an advanced killing machine? The basement? No, too obvious. Or was it? Maybe she was counting on it being obvious? Maybe she thought that no one would look in an obvious place? Maybe he was overthinking this slightly? John found himself despising the situation he was in; but for some reason, he couldn't bring himself to sigh. _The attic... that's probably where mom put her._ he thought to himself.

* * *

Savannah didn't even need to open the door... because there wasn't one. Probably because of whatever caused the hole in the ceiling had made quick work of the door as well. Savannah walked next to her bed, and she took notice of the Piano that was covered in dust and broken wood. She walked over and touched the keys with her fingers, letting the keys soothe her skin. Of course, it didn't make a sound as she made contact, as the Piano was completely torn in half. Still, she found it satisfying to make contact with a symbol of human art.

When she looked towards the bottom of her bed-something immediately caught her eye... a chess board. Savannah felt the all too familiar force of hurt tug at her heart. With tears forming in her eyes, she knelt down, and tenderly picked up the board with her hands. She blew away the dust and stared at it as if it was an old friend. She remembered her game with Ellison right before the attack on the house. The memory of Sarah's death finally caused her emotional barriers to fall, and she felt a single tear trickle down her right cheek. She placed the board against her forehead, and began to cry. It was the first time she had cried in years... not even the deaths of her closest friends in the Resistance had caused an emotional uprising like this.

The familiar voice of John Connor calling her name mercifully put an end to her crying, and she slowly placed the chessboard back under the bed. "Coming John." she replied after him.

* * *

Eventually, Savannah tracked the voice to the attic. She climbed up the deployed latter and found herself staring at a most... incredible sight. What she saw was John caressing the head of a disabled Cameron. Her face was still partially destroyed, with her formerly red eye remaining lifeless without the chip. She saw John rest her head in his left arm, and he pushed away the strand of hair on her face.

"John?" She quietly called to him.

John continued to stare blankly at Cameron, as if it was the first time he had ever seen her. He felt himself close to tears, and he didn't know how to respond to it's eventual arrival. "I never thought I'd actually find her. I honestly thought I'd die in the middle of this scorched hellhole." He turned around and faced Savannah. "I guess when John Connor sets his mind to do something... he does it." John finished. His voice was taxed with emotion, a mixture of happiness, grief, and victorious love.

Savannah felt steaming pride for John. Even though she could tell he was close to tears, she could make out the victorious smile fighting to break free. She bolted from the ladder and knelt next to John. It was the first time she had actually gotten a good look at Cameron. Her damage was unsettling, and it didn't take long for them both to realize that they didn't know how to completely restore her. Neither of them decided to address it, since they both figured John Henry and Weaver had that covered.

"Come on, let's meet Weaver and get her chip back." John said.

* * *

Finally, after forty-five minutes of waiting, a worn but running Ford truck approached John and Savannah from the road. It was getting close to five 'o' clock now, and it would be night any time. When the vehicle came to full-stop, John watched as Weaver and John Henry stepped out.

Bypassing Weaver entirely, Savannah walked right towards John Henry. For some reason, John Henry expected the young girl to be hostile; but all she did was stand in front of him with the most surprised yet relieved of expressions. John Henry returned the smile, "Hello, Savannah." he greeted.

Savannah didn't respond at first, she looked him slowly up and down. She noticed he was covered in patch and rags that was crudely crafted. Aside from his bare hands, he had no other weapons. While he looked more weathered than she remembered, he still retained his overall friendly appearance. "Hello, John Henry." Savannah replied, choking back tears.

"It's good to see you again." he said.

Not wasting a moment more, Savannah sprang forward and gave John Henry the tightest hug she had ever given. She had to hold back the tears that demanded release, and she felt a happiness she had never felt in many years. Of all the friends and family she had lost; it was still good to find a friend again. Savannah smiled. "You too, buddy. You too." she greeted back, her voiced was laced with sadness but topped with relief. When the two released, John Henry noticed that John Connor was frozen stiff and staring.

John Henry smiled warmly. "Hello, John Connor. It is nice to meet you, I am John Henry." he greeted. "Miss Weaver has told me very good things about you."

John didn't return his warm welcome. Instead, he was sweating aggressively and he felt his throat go extremely dry. He knew he'd eventually meet John Henry, and he knew he'd wear the cloak of Cromartie... but he didn't expect it to be so... friendly? No, that's not right.

Smug.

John regained some of his previous bravado, and addressed John Henry in the most masculine tone he had. "Where's Cameron's chip?" he demanded.

Catherine, Savannah and John Henry decided not to address his rudeness; as they could see how his point of view of the situation, he most likely wanted Cameron back as quickly as possible. John Henry pointed to his head, "It's in here." he answered. Before John could begin speaking, John Henry had something to add. "I have managed to erase the corruption from her files. All of them, however, it seems some of the corruption was rooted in her memory and system files. Which means-"

"-Some of her memories will be deleted since you had to delete memory files in order to get rid of the corruption? I really appreciate that, those glitches were a pain in the ass after the bombing." John interrupted.

John Henry and Catherine Weaver stood in complete silence, although Savannah didn't know the entire story, nor did she want to, she figured John must have said something to stump them completely. This was the first time they had both been impressed with the boy, and they were both sure it wouldn't be the only time either. Not to mention his surprising gratitude afterwards.

"Yes, how did you know?" John Henry inquired.

Feeling a little insulted, John simply shrugged in reply. "I can put two and two together." he answered vaguely. Before the A.I. could pester him with any more talk, he made a silent gesture for him to lie down. With all parties watching, John Henry did as he was asked. Savannah handed John her combat knife, which he eagerly took. He plucked the blade into the head of John Henry, and snapped away the port. John didn't need to look at Catherine as he reached in with pair of pliers and pulled out the chip; for he knew she was very against this procedure. He would have to do well in her stead, in order to guarantee her satisfaction for the favor of getting Cameron back.

He finally pulled out the chip, he watched John Henry's normally non-expressive eyes go completely lifeless; as if someone had removed his soul entirely. From a certain point of view, that was indeed the case. John repeated the same port extraction on Cameron, and he slid the chip slowly into the chip bay. Almost forgetting to put her chip port back on, he did so, and he handed Savannah the knife back, and stepped up to wait for the one-hundred twenty seconds to pass.

When they did, he felt tears threaten to spill as he watched Cameron rise up from the ground which he had placed her. He watched her examine her surroundings, trying to make sense of the world she was in. He found it somewhat cute actually...adorable even. Once Cameron had fully booted, he watched as her organic and metal eye hovered over to him. He eagerly grasped her shoulders, and formed a huge smile as he watched her look at him. "Cameron, can you hear me?" he asked.

Cameron tilted her head. "Yes. I can hear you." she answered in a dull monotone.

John smiled and laughed a little, although it was more of a sharp exhale than a laugh. He was too overjoyed to analyze the correct bodily responses. He noticed she was acting strange, she should have acknowledged his presence, or at least pestered him for coming after her... but she was acting like she didn't know him, which meant... _oh no_.

"Who are you?" she asked him.

Upon processing her words, John immediately felt his heart plummet. "Cameron? It's me! John!" he yelled in panic. "You don't remember me?"

Cameron looked confused, as if she had never seen him before. "No. I don't know you." she responded, she had a tone which confirmed she was dead serious.

John's entire body went cold, he felt the blood in his veins either turn burning hot, or freezing cold; he couldn't tell because he was in complete shock. He felt his nervous system nearly shut down when he heard her words. He looked her up and down frantically, "How do you not remember me? You were sent to protect me!" John argued.

Cameron did a quick scan and retrieve of her mission files, yet found no such mission this 'John' was speaking of. "Negative, I do not have a mission that contains the scenario you described in my files."

John slowly backed away. Every step he took backwards, the deeper his stare collided with Cameron's. Savannah was fearing for John's well-being at this point. "John?" she asked him.

 _I've lost her... oh god... I'm sorry Cameron. I'm so sorry._

"John!" Savannah yelled.

Her call momentarily snapped him out of his shock. He slowly shifted his gaze toward Savannah, completely in a shocked trance. She grabbed him by the shoulders, "John, are you okay?"

It took him a moment to respond. Savannah couldn't tell if he was close to tears, or close to anger. "Savannah.. I've lost her. Oh god I've lost her." he said. John backed away, he felt himself beginning to hate himself. But why? It wasn't his fault...

It was Catherine's.

"You!" John yelled, pointing an accusing finger at Catherine.

"I beg your pardon?" she replied.

"You! You let him delete her memories! You're the reason she can't remember me! I traveled all the way into the future for nothing!" he continued.

"John, just calm down!" Savannah urged, although despising her action of defending Weaver; it was much more important to get John's head on straight and focus on the current situation. John approached Weaver, but Savannah jumped in front of him to calm him down. "John! Stop, think, and calm the hell down!" Savannah yelled at him.

Cameron sat on the nearby rock watching the commotion unfold in front of her. She momentarily looked at John Henry's motionless body. As she did, she felt something surge inside her; as if another part of her body had been awoken. When the surge passed, she saw one simple sentence display on her HUD.

 **SYSTEM FULLY REBOOTED-MEMORIES RESTORED.**

Cameron then began to remember... John Connor: future, teenager, child... warrior. She sprang up from the rock, and called his name as he berated Catherine. "John!" she called.

John ignored her, he continued his rant, "I nearly got killed! I'm being hunted by the Resistance! For what?! Nothing!" he screamed. Catherine stood her ground, "I suggest you calm down, John. The situation does not allow for rash emotions." she reasoned.

This only heated John's fuse, "What the fuck do you know about my emotions? You're a goddamn machine!" he paused. He faced Weaver, but waved is right arm in the direction of Cameron and John Henry's body. "All of you!" he yelled.

"John!" Cameron screamed once more in unison with Savannah, albeit much louder. She could detect astronomical levels of stress in John's system, if he kept this up, it would drive him over the edge. She had to put a stop to it.

"We are machines that have kept you alive and protected you. You would be nowhere without us." Catherine calmly argued.

"THAT'S ALL YOU'RE GOOD FOR! YOU'RE NOTHING BUT GUARDS! NOT PSYCHIATRISTS!" he screamed at her. Loud enough to wake the dead.

"John Connor!" Cameron screamed... upon hearing her voice, John stopped yelling and this silenced him completely. It felt as if the whole wasteland had gone quiet. He turned around, and saw a much more lively Cameron staring back. He felt as if he was in a dark alley as he and Cameron exchanged stares, but there was one very bright light at the end. The silence lasted a good twenty seconds. "Cameron?" he asked.

He saw her smile. A smile he couldn't tell was genuine or not... but it was real. Because it was hers. "It's me, John." she replied. John's eyes were wide by this point; he, Savannah, and Catherine were all staring at Cameron. Both of them shared a look that dared the other to make the first move. "Prove it." he said.

Not expecting that, but she did have a retort. Her next move was to hold out her hand, and she said the words that had set his entire life into motion.. "Come with me, if you want live." she said, the sentence was clear as day. It was lacking in depth, but it proved Cameron was truly back. He still remembered when Uncle Bob had said those words, he also remembered when Cameron had said them when they first met. But he didn't have time to think about the past... for right now, all that mattered was the present. John's next move was a flash. In mere milliseconds he had Cameron wrapped in his arms in a hug.

The contact made Cameron feel another strange sensation. It felt like another power surge, but this one was more... welcome. She responded accordingly as she wrapped her arms around John in a returning hug. The next words were spoken by John, "You're back." he said, his voice dripping of both sadness and relief. He held on to her much tighter as he finished that sentence.

Meanwhile, the others stood watching them awkwardly. Savannah was insanely happy for John. After all this time, she had accomplished her mission of reuniting him and Cameron. Even after all those years of waiting, it took a simple hour and a half, she still felt accomplished. Catherine on the other hand was more concerned about John Henry. She trusted him, at least to an extent she did. For her, giving Cameron her chip back was a colossal leap forward. She expected to be properly compensated.

"If you don't mind?" Catherine started.

John and Cameron pulled slowly away. While John unconsciously refused to let go of Cameron, he still turned around and gave Catherine his attention. "What's on your mind?" he asked.

Catherine tilted her head and gave him a disapproving glare. "You know exactly what-" her sentence was interrupted when the loud rumble of jet's roared over the hill. "Hide!" Catherine ordered.

The group wasted no time complying, and they all found themselves behind cover immediately. The jet's path screamed overhead, and Cameron caught the number and model. "A-10 Warthogs. Approximately three units." she said aloud while looking at the sky. She followed the jet's as they circled around for a while before disappearing over the hill, leaving a trail of smoke from the engine. She then turned to John, "Most likely searching for us." she finished.

John scoffed. "Well... that's freaking great!" he complained.

Catherine found her sense of urgency rather quickly, and immediately took control of the situation. "Listen up, everyone. Twenty miles from here-there is a U.S. military nuke silo hidden in the mountain. I want you to take John Henry's body, go to this facility, and wait for me. I need to infiltrate General Perry's camp and research intel on Skynet."

John's eyes widened, and his seemingly disappeared anger had returned. "INTEL?! What intel? Oh wait, lemme guess... the kind you could have gotten while in central?" he complained.

Catherine had enough, she snapped at John with a tone he didn't think she possessed. "Shut up. John, I need you to shut up or grow up. I need you in this with your head on straight. I've had enough of your complaining! And the situation does not benefit from your sarcasm. You take John Henry with you, get to the missile silo, and you wait for me. Because if we lose John Henry, then humanity receives a massive dent in it's strategic capabilities. If YOU die, then humanity dies with you. I am doing everything in my power to keep that from happening! So shut up, get in the truck, and get going. Are we clear?" Catherine ranted.

John, and Savannah simply stood speechless; while Cameron seemed rather indifferent. _Did I actually piss her off?_ John thought to himself. He almost felt like pushing the matter, hoping to prove he would not be defeated in a verbal yelling match. But the more he thought about it, the more he realized she was completely right. He was whining, he was being a huge pain in the ass.

"Ok, fine. But what are you trying to do?" he asked.

Catherine felt she was obligated to elaborate. She was leaving him in the dark after all. "I need to find a way back." she answered vaguely.

"Back? You mean like to the past?" John asked.

Catherine nodded.

John tried to get the dusty gears in his mind to spin. "Wait... why would Skynet need a Time machine or whatever in this timeline? Wasn't the whole point of it to kill me in the past in the old timeline? There's no point to it now." John argued.

Catherine, hard as she could, couldn't contain the uncontrollable smile that broke out due to the young boy's ego-filled opinion. "John. Do you think yourself so important that you would assume Skynet wouldn't build one of it's most effective military assets? You think it wouldn't take advantage of that kind of technology just because you are 'absent' in this timeline?"

John rolled his eyes, "Ok fine, I have a huge ego. But are you one-hundred percent sure there is a Time machine out there?" he asked.

"Of course not, John. That's why I'm going to find out if I'm right or not. Now, in order to reach the silo, just follow the road and you will reach it in about twenty minutes. I will see you in two days time. Good luck, and keep John Henry safe." Catherine said. She didn't allow any of the others to say anything as she started her truck and left.

"Did she say two days?" Savannah said, almost as completely outraged as John.

John exhaled in exhaustion. "That she did." he turned and looked at Cameron, and he felt a sudden happiness at seeing her walking and talking again. "It's good to have you back, Cameron."

She smiled warmly. "It's good to be back, John."

* * *

"General, I got incoming from Razor 6-5." the Resistance soldier informed. General Perry tore himself away from the intel station and made his way to the communications room. He approached the radio. "What you got for me Razor?"

The pilot's response was muffled but audible. "I got eyes on target, sir. Permission to engage?"

"That's a negative. We got a tracker on that truck, I wanna see where he goes, over."

"Understood, sir. Returning to base, we're running on bingo fuel."

"Roger that, Razor. Don't worry, we'll blow those bastards up soon enough."

"Looking forward to it, sir."

Perry chuckled slightly, "We all are. Get your asses back to base. Over and out."

"Sir!" a voice echoed from the intel room. General Perry wasted no time making his way back, and he found himself staring at a screen showing massive amounts of Skynet activity.

"What the hell?" he said, looking at the screen in disbelief.

The soldier manning the radar seemed to share his current state of thought, "Sir, as you can see, Skynet is mobilizing over two-hundred ogres, and god knows how much infantry for some kind of assault. Orders?" he asked.

Suddenly Derek walked into the room behind him. "They're trying to protect Connor." he suggested.

Perry and the other soldiers turned around to face Derek, expecting an explanation. "You got something to back that up, Reese?" Perry challenged.

Derek resisted a smug smile. "Sir, In a humble soldier's opinion, I don't think it's a coincidence that Skynet is mounting a force large enough to take down Godzilla without a reason. Connor knows Glen and this camp inside and out. He's got base layouts, garrison count, and civilian count. Skynet wants that information, and it's gonna do everything in it's power to protect him. Which means keeping us from killing him." Derek explained.

Perry saw his impeccable logic. He was right, he knew it. They had to kill Connor; and Savannah too if necessary. "Communications!" Perry yelled.

"Sir?" the Resistance comm operative responded.

"Get Glen, get harvard, and get camp washington on comms! We have an army to mobilize!" Perry barked.

"Yes, sir!"

* * *

 **Also, you'll see the next chapter out sooner than you might expect. I've got loads of more free-time so I can write more. Bring your tissues because you'll see some John/Cameron interactions. It's taken eleven chapters and quite a few months, but I've managed to reach the first major plot-point I've been working towards.**

 **I want to thank all of you for the reviews you have left. They've been helpful, informative, and well-written. Also, in case you haven't figured it out, my main inspirations are:**

 **bigbew (No longer writing, but check out his/her stories! In my opinion, the stories written by bigbew contain the perfect character for Cameron.)**

 **King Steve (Got some good stuff out there. He's been writing since the series premiered, and he is still greatly dedicated to the series by continuing to write.)**

 **JasonVUK (This guy has some astronomical talent. He explores John and Cameron's relationship in a way I never could. I think, but not sure, if he's still writing his Jameron story. But it's extremely good and well-written.)**

 **River2027 (While she is still active, I do believe she has concluded her TSCC stories. She did a trilogy AU Season 2 universe, and it's greatly written. Their are extremely sad moments, but also triumphantly happy ones. You'll need tissues for this one for sure.)**

 **Well, those are my inspirations. Chances are you've read their stories before since most of their fics are very popular in the TSCC community. I'm always on the lookout for more stories, so leave some recommendations in the form of a PM.**

 **Much love, guys!**


	11. Chapter 11

**Chapter Eleven: Judgement Day**

 **April 21, 2011**

The waning hours had Ellison shopping at the local Supermarket. He and Savannah, now 10 years of age, had assumed the roles of adopted parent and daughter respectively. Ellison had taken as many precautions he thought necessary to ensure their survival. He knew Judgement day was coming, it had to have been. It's been two years since John and Catherine had left, and Sarah had died.

Now living in northern Oregon, he managed to find and buy a house with a very basic bomb shelter. It wasn't high-class stuff, but it would have to do.

"That'll be 13.48" said the young cashier at the check-out line. Ellison wasted no time reaching into his wallet and handing the young girl the cash. He didn't miss the flirty smile she gave him as she took the money. She was a looker, he had to give her that.

"Your change, sir." the cashier said as she handed him back the change. Ellison smiled back, albeit uncomfortably. "Thanks, you have a nice day now." he replied.

He barely heard the "you too" from her, as he rushed out of the store in an awkward rush. He honestly didn't understand why a cute young thing like that would want his mid-30's ass. He merely chuckled to himself at the thought...

When he entered his car, he noticed extra ink marks on the backside of his receipt. He turned it over and read the words that were written on the back...

541 - 262 - 9801

Call me!

~ Keke

Ellison shook his head and smiled a little. For some reason, the girl reminded him of his ex-wife. He hadn't spoken to her in a very long time, since before the current crisis with Savannah, John, Sarah, and Cameron. He didn't want to get her dragged into this, it wouldn't be right to risk her life like that. She deserved to live the rest of her time in peace. He briefly wondered what it would have been like had they reconciled. Maybe they would have tried for another child, maybe they'd be living life as a family; just as ignorant to Judgement day as the rest of humanity. He was happy for her, she had a husband, a cozy home, and children now. She was at peace.

Unfortunately, when Ellison looked back at the sky, and saw the rockets hurling towards the blue abyss, he came to the conclusion that peace would be short-lived.

* * *

 **2027**

Catherine was right, this base was extremely well-hidden. It was located on a hillside in the middle of a California desert; far away from Skynet, and out of sight of the Resistance. Savannah reached into her backpack and pulled out a water bottle; it was warm as the summer sun by now, but she didn't care. She was thirsty to the point of chugging the bottle down to half in a matter of seconds. When she was done, she tossed the bottle to John's waiting hands. "Finish that if you want. I'm gonna go have a look around." Savannah announced.

John toasted in thanks to her, and watched her march down the desolate hallways. Cameron walked behind him. "We should secure the doors. We'll have a better chance at a defense if we do." she suggested.

John nodded, despite wanting to just sit and relax. Something he hasn't exactly gotten to do since he arrived in the future. "Fine, let's get this over with." he agreed. When he walked away, Cameron watched his body language and posture. She didn't need to initiate a CAT scan to determine he was stressed. Being a machine, she wasn't sure how to help him cope with the current situation. It didn't make sense to her; he was happy... overjoyed rather when he hugged her after her reactivation.

 **Possible methods of comforting John Connor and reduce stress levels will be listed as follows...**

 **1\. Help him close secure the perimeter door. Manual labor has been known to calm the human mind after a stressful encounter.**

 **2\. Court him.**

Cameron didn't need to be a human to know the latter option was crossing the line a little bit. She decided the best choice was most likely the first, it would give her a chance to help him cope with his stress without having to upset him with the explanation of her mission, which she calculated would upset him just as much. She began to follow him down the stairs and stopped when she saw him securing the latches on the Perimeter doors. Cameron helped by lifting a large quarry stone and placing it in front of the door as a form of barricade.

John watched her repeat the same action with two more quarry stones. He began to wonder why he had only been briefly overjoyed when he finally reunited with Cameron. Now, he was back to his old, grumpy self. He didn't notice he had been staring Cameron down the entire time he was lost in his thoughts. "Is everything okay, John?" she asked.

Looking back up at her, he scoffed. "Okay? No. Of course not. I'm getting hunted by two armies, Cameron. The Resistance and Skynet! Hell, I wouldn't be surprised if they met up halfway here, shook hands and shared a beer before teaming up to kill me!" John complained.

Cameron had learned to detect sarcasm much easier since the car bomb. After all, she had to put up with a lot of it since she first met John. "They want answers, John. People are scared when they want answers." she replied.

John couldn't believe she had the nerve to suggest that, after all he was put through. Oh, you have no idea how right you are... John's face became the slate of a serious man who wanted an explanation. "That's right." he paused, taking a step closer to Cameron. "And speaking of answers, you owe me some." he said, taking another step forward, with Cameron standing her ground and awaiting his follow-up. "Why did you go? Why did you leave?!" he paused. "You didn't even... say goodbye..." he watched his words register. Cameron briefly looked at the ground, he could tell she was struggling with her answer.

It seemed like an eternity before she replied, "I left because I was a threat to you." She finally answered.

John scoffed, confirming Cameron's suspicions that her answer was poorly presented. "A threat? That didn't stop you before." John replied.

Cameron stood motionless, her reply came out just as monotone as her last. "No... it didn't."

John's head tilted slightly. She can't dance around this forever... John thought to himself. "Cameron, I don't believe for a second that you left because my safety was compromised. I want you to give me an honest answer. I'm sick of being lied to; I need you to start being honest with me. Because I'm going to be honest with you, my trust in you has been shaken to it's core for a while." John spoke those words hoping to get a reaction from Cameron. Unfortunately his efforts proved futile when Cameron remained simply silent and dull.

"What does 'Will you join us' mean?" he finished. Now THIS triggered the reaction he wanted from Cameron. Her body language changed entirely, her lips parted slightly for half a second, and her head twitched a little.

John barely resisted his smirk. Gotcha.

Cameron knew she would eventually hear the question from him. She knew John was smart, and he was sharper than his mother sometimes. Being backed into a corner, Cameron knew she had to answer. If she were human, she most likely would have sighed, she wasn't sure how John would react to her story, but it wasn't like she could choose it. She figured she could handle whatever John verbally threw at her afterwards, seeing John begin to get impatient from her silence, she looked him in the eyes and began her story.

"In the future, you sent a United States Submarine - The Jimmy Carter, on a supply mission to Perth. You were given a crew that consisted of a reprogrammed Triple Eight, and the ranking human was Jesse Flores." Cameron explained. She watched the brief shock register over John's face. "Derek's girlfriend?" he asked in confirmation.

Cameron nodded. "Yes. You were approaching Australia, when the captain - Queeg suddenly steered the sub off-course. The crew began to grow suspicious, but what they didn't know was that you gave secret orders to Queeg, and Queeg only, to retrieve a package from another faction." Cameron paused, and she looked up from emphasis. "Catherine's faction."

Confusion flooded John like water broke through a dam. It took him a minute, but he finally managed to wrap his head around what Cameron was talking about. "Wait... Catherine is the leader of a... Terminator Resistance? Against Skynet?" he asked, his tone made it clear that he was still trying to register the situation and Cameron's story.

Cameron nodded, feeling pride for John that he was as sharp as he was. "Yes, the crew members carried out the mission, and brought a package on board. They placed it in the cargo hold, yet no one knew what was inside. Not even Queeg." Cameron explained. She paused briefly, seeing if John would have any questions. He didn't, so she continued speaking... "Eventually the crew staged a mutiny, and they opened the package. Inside, was a T-1001 Terminator."

"Weaver." John guessed.

Cameron nodded. "Yes, she killed one of the crew members, and according to Jesse-'took her body', and immediately retreated. For the next day, this left the crew on edge, with tensions escalating between the crew members. One of them, Dietz, attacked Jesse, suspecting she was the Terminator and he was killed by Queeg." Cameron finished. She could see John getting more and more disturbed by her story, but she continued on anyway. "Eventually, Jesse suspected Queeg of having his system compromised. When he refused to co-operate, she disabled him. Afterwards, she initiated a scuttling procedure and evacuated the crew. But before she left, Weaver showed up behind her and said one thing: 'Tell John Connor, the answer is no'." She finished. This concluded Cameron's story, and she awaited John's array of questions.

"And the question was..."

"...Will you join us." Cameron confirmed.

John was almost out of breath. So many questions had been answered, he now knew Jesse's true motivation behind wanting Cameron gone. She most likely believed she had a negative influence on his leadership. He knew Weaver's intentions with John Henry, and he now knew what 'Will you join us?' meant. He took a seat, and Cameron watched him blankly. "Why didn't you tell me all of this before?" he inquired.

Cameron tilted her head. "You never asked." she replied.

John was beginning to get impatient. "Stop lying to me, why aren't you telling me the truth?"

"Sometimes you need to be lied to." she tried.

John jumped up from his seat. "Not Now! I don't need to be lied to anymore!" John yelled. While Cameron had no reaction to his yelling, he calmed down anyway. "Cameron. When I saw you were gone in the past, my first thought was to get you back. I didn't even think about getting answers! Hell, I didn't even think about anything else! All that was on my mind was to get you back!" he paused for a second, catching his breath and taking in Cameron's reaction. "...But now that I'm here... I don't know if I did the right thing." he admitted.

Those words triggered something inside of Cameron, and she felt an unknown force infiltrate her sub-systems. She ran a scan.

Damage detected, searching...

Error. No physical damage detected, corruption is purged.

Suggest immediate standby for synchronization.

Dismissing it as a glitch, Cameron stood her ground while John towered over her. " Do you wish that you hadn't come back? Do You regret it?" she asked.

John shrugged. "I don't know. Are you going to make me regret it?" he shot back.

Silence was Cameron's simple reply. In truth, she hadn't told John the story after Jesse's death because she thought he wouldn't believe her. Now, after all she put him through, with him standing right here in front of her, willing to hear her out, she felt she owed him an answer. "John, I didn't think you would believe me. You didn't seem to trust me at all after what happened on your birthday." she offered.

John looked seemingly offended. "Oh? So this is my fault now?" he sneered.

"I didn't say that, John."

John's reply was quick and spiteful. "Then what were you saying?"

Cameron had no answer, she was silent once more. She tried to contact her system for a retort, but she was unsuccessful in doing so. She simply settled with a, "I don't know."

"You don't know?" John asked impatiently.

Cameron had made a fool of herself. John was disappointed with her, and she had only made it worse by giving him the impression that she was blaming him. It took a while for Cameron to realize she was "bothered" by it. In the past, John's opinion of her wouldn't stop her from performing tasks he would most likely oppose. For some reason, it was now affecting her in a way she couldn't explain. Maybe John Henry was on to something about her "development"? She didn't have an answer for his last retort either, she simply stared at the ground, unsure how to respond.

John shook his head in shame. "I don't know what to say to you, Cameron. No, actually, I do!" he paused. "You don't get to decide what I should or shouldn't know. I do." When Cameron didn't respond, John shook his head at her again. "I'm going to sleep." with that said, he walked away in contempt of her, leaving a troubled yet stoic Cameron staring at him as his silhouette was consumed in the darkness.

 **2011**

Ellison slammed the door shut, he sprinted inside the house but couldn't find any sign of Savannah. He looked all around the living room, scanning the desolate rooms in a heated panic until finally resorting to cupping his hands around his mouth, "Savannah!" he shouted.

A faint yell reached his ears in reply. "In here, Mr. Ellison!"

Ellison looked all around, before he finally pinpointed the source of the yell. It was the backyard. He quickly made his way to the windows in the kitchen and opened the blinds. When he did, he saw Savannah waving her hand to him in front of the bomb shelter. Ellison smiled, smart girl. Indeed she was. Ellison pulled himself away from the window and made his way outside. He stormed into the shelter and secured the door, latching it shut with the steel-enforced lock.

He grasped Savannah by the shoulders, "Savannah, listen to me-"

"I know. Skynet is online." she replied.

Even though Ellison had indeed explained to Savannah what would happen and how, he was still surprised she would take it so well and open. "Alright, Savannah. Listen to me, cover your ears, and close your eyes. This will be over soon, I promise." Ellison said.

Savannah was dangerously close to an emotional breakdown, but she managed a small nod. Ellison gave her an encouraging pat on the shoulder, and made a full sweep of the shelter, storing away any loose or sharp objects. Savannah watched intensely while Ellison performed his task in full haste.

Suddenly, the tremor of Earth being shaken was heard. And Ellison lunged to Savannah, and covered her ears. His hands were feeling the wetness of Savannah's tears, as the raging inferno drew ever closer. He was thankful beyond comprehension they couldn't hear the nuclear wrath obliterate the houses, and scorch the Earth around them. Suddenly, they felt the blast blow over the shelter above ground.

One hour later...

It was a while before the ring of the aftermath had passed, and everything had gone quiet. Ellison opened the small storage room and changed into a Hazmat suit he stored. When he put it on, he walked over to Savannah and gave her a reassuring smile through the face visor. "Savannah, I'm gonna take a look outside. You stay put alright? This suit's going to protect me from the radiation okay?" he explained.

Savannah was reluctant to be left alone, but she trusted Ellison, and knew she would return. She didn't have the willpower to muster a verbal response, so she simply nodded.

With Ellison safe in the mind he had reassured her, he gently tilted her chin upwards. Chin up, I'll be back.

He walked up the stairs and took a deep breath. He slowly opened the door, and poked his head outward. The first thing he noticed was the strong, yet horrid stench of radiation and scorched landscape. He was more thankful for this Hazmat suit than anything else in the world right now. He took his first step outside, and placed his hand on the outer frame of the door.

The sight that greeted him was that of the small Oregon town burning. Buildings were collapsing, and the ground was seething with an inferno to rival the apocalypse described in Revelations itself. Ellison stood his ground outside of the bomb shelter, and he was utterly surprised he was still alive. With the cheap reputation of that shelter, he was sure he would've been fried by now.

Hmm, must've been more useful than I thought. Hopefully Savannah will stay safe for a while.

Ellison took his first daring step forward, and he eventually broke into a balanced walk quicker than he thought he would. He made his way inside the still-burning city, and watched the blazes dominate the city sidewalks, buildings, and parks. As he advanced farther into the blazing inferno, he found himself staring at a startling sight. A man with a gun, an assault rifle of some sort, was holding a pair of people at gunpoint. Ellison ducked behind a concrete slab nearby and watched the interaction.

"Looting is not tolerated! It's against the law!" the man with the gun yelled.

One of the men, who upon closer inspection was wearing a hooded jacket, responded in a fearful voice. "Hey I know! We're just trying to get by! Please, don't shoot us!" the man pleaded. Ellison saw the man with the gun hold his ground for a moment, before lowering the rifle, and nudging his head onward. The pair thanked him, "Oh thank you! God bless you!" one of them said, and immediately retreated.

Ellison stood up from his hidden position, only to immediately find himself in the center of the aggressors cross hairs. "Don't move! Hands at your side!" he yelled.

Ellison found no harm in complying, since he held no power. The man slowly approached him, and as the fog cleared, Ellison recognized that the man was wearing a full Hazmat suit like himself. The man lowered his weapon, "Nathan Reynolds, USMC. You got a name?" he asked.

Ellison thought for a moment, while he guessed a Marine wouldn't know someone like him, and enemy of the States as far as he was concerned, he still took into consideration it was worth it to make up a name anyway. "Preston. Preston Smith." he lied.

Reynolds walked up to him until he was right in front of Ellison. "Are there any other survivors Preston?" he asked.

Ellison nodded. "Yeah, a little girl... Sarah." he lied again, at least about the name.

While the soldier looked rather skeptical for a moment, he quickly dismissed it. "Alright, there's a refugee bunker about four clicks from here. We've got food, supplies, and water to last months. Where is the girl at?"

"We took shelter in our own bunker. It's just around the corner. Luckily this Hazmat suit was inside or else I wouldn't have found you." Ellison replied.

Reynolds nodded in agreement, "That's good, Preston. Look, I've got a limited number of Hazmat suits, and none of them are child-sized. Let's head back to that bunker and get the girl; and then I'll have her get commissioned for decontamination. You lead the way." he said.

* * *

 **2027**

After berating Cameron, John instantly felt a heavy weight of emotion settle in his stomach. He found himself laying down in the bathtub pretty early, and closed his eyes to take in the recent events. He hadn't meant to blow up at her, but all the anger and betrayal over time had built up into an unstable volcano of emotion. Cameron had all this knowledge from the past, most that she didn't bother to share with him. But why? What was her motive? John sighed, knowing that his mind was going to fall at ease very soon, to be consumed by the strange world of dreams.


	12. Chapter 12

**Chapter Twelve: Baptism by Fire**

The sunlight pierced through the window, causing the brightness to cause strain on John's still-closed eyelids. "Ugh" he groaned to himself, his unwillingness to wake up vastly outweighing his will too. _I guess it couldn't hurt to sleep another thirty minutes; after all, mom's not here to enforce the rule..._ John thought smugly to himself. He smirked and turned away from window, and began to sleep again. At least he _tried_ to, with his bed being a bathtub and all.

Ultimately, his efforts were useless, when three knocks were heard from the metal door. John mentally facpalmed, wanting nothing more than just to curl up and speak to no one. He came to the conclusion there was no avoiding waking up now. "Yes?" he called to the door.

"John, it is Cameron." she paused for a moment. "I have your breakfast, boiled eggs and sausage. 'The classic'-as Savannah calls it." John subconsciously licked his lips, _Yeah, breakfast wouldn't hurt..._ he thought to himself. He stood up, put on a shirt, and walked over to the door, opened it, and sure enough, a patient Cameron stood on the other side with a plate of eggs and sausage in her waiting hands. "Here you go, John." she offered. John smiled and took the plate from her hands, "Did you make this?" he asked her as he looked over the food. It looked very well-prepared.

Cameron shook her head "No, Savannah did." she replied simply in her monotone voice.

John nodded, of course, he didn't turn around and walk away like the cold sonofabitch he could be, he simply stood in front of Cameron and briefly eyed her over. Cameron looked back at him curiously, wondering what was so interesting. "Are you okay?" she asked.

John snapped out of his brief trance, unsure of why he got so caught up in his state of shock, "Yeah! I'm fine." he replied with a bit of exaggerated happiness. Of course, his strangely presented retort warranted a curious look from Cameron. He decided to advance before the situation was made more awkward. "Hey, Cameron, would you take a seat for a minute? I have some things to get off my chest." he requested.

Cameron didn't say anything, she wondered what John had on his mind; but she decided not to question anything-she didn't want to make John more stressed after all. She smiled, nodded, walked into his room, and took a seat on the rim of the tub. She then looked at him patiently.

He pulled up a small wooden chair and sat opposite Cameron. He took a deep breath, and began to speak, "...Cameron... I need to apologize." he started. Of course he paused and took in Cameron's reaction. It was a simple tilt of the head, a feature of which John would point out to himself she does rather often, enough to be called her 'quirk'.

He noticed Cameron changed her posture slightly. _John Henry was right. I detect John is regretful about his outburst last night._ "I don't understand, John. For what?" she asked, playing off she didn't know what he was talking about.

John sighed and looked away. For some odd reason, the innocent look of Cameron solidified John's guilt. All she had wanted to do was protect him, and he'd thrown it in her face. Every moment in the future he'd spent was in pursuit of one goal: find Cameron. He had, and he wouldn't cheat himself out of a happy reunion because of his conflicting feelings. _Time to man up, John. You're not in the third grade, it shouldn't be hard to say, "I'm sorry."_

John took a deep breath, "Cameron... I shouldn't have reacted the way I did last night. I was mad, but I shouldn't have taken it out on you. It's just that I've been under a lot of pressure, and I'm not sure what to make of this whole situation I'm in." he admitted, he watched Cameron stare at him in a strange trance, almost as if she couldn't believe he was actually apologizing. Suddenly, he did something that surprised them both, he reached over, and tenderly took her hand, and looked her straight in the eye, with every fiber of his being signifying the genuine outpour of his emotional feelings, "Cameron... you are my best friend. You've been my best friend ever since you saved me from Cromartie and the other Terminators-which you still do so today." he added. Cameron continued to remain silent, although her expression signified worry, John was too caught up in his own grief to notice. "...Thank you... for everything." he said. John felt his chest begin to rage with a saddening inferno, and he looked Cameron deeper into her eyes, hoping he could see the glint that would confirm her own version of hidden humanity. For some reason, the metal side of her face which exposed her red eye made her more of a person to him now than it ever did.

Cameron's bottom lip hung slightly, unsure how to respond at first, but then she began to speak. The words that left her mouth were laced with... sadness? Or was it sorrow? "I accept your apology, John. Thank you for being honest; although I will never understand why you felt the need." she said.

John's face scrunched in confusion, "What do you mean? Feeling the need for an apology, or for being honest?" he asked.

Cameron looked him down briefly, studying the slight movements in his body language. She could tell he was nervous. "Apologizing, I didn't think you'd consider me to be owed an apology." she said. Despite the silence of the next moment, Cameron's sad frown turned into a bright, glistening smile. "But I accept your apology. And I want to thank you as well."

John felt his own smile creep up. "For what?"

Her's grew wider. "For being _my_ best friend."

John chuckled slightly, he was unconsciously caressing Cameron's hand, feeling her smooth skin calm his lit nerves. "No problem." he said as he choked back tears. _There's something in there... I know there is._

* * *

Savannah practically slammed her fist onto the door. "John! Come on, get up!" she screamed.

John and Cameron looked over his shoulder towards the door, with the loud pounding erupting from the other side. "John!" a shout was heard. John noticed he was holding Cameron's hand, and immediately released and made his way to the door. He opened it and saw Savannah looking rather terrified. "What is it? What's wrong?!" he asked her rather urgently.

Savannah's eyes widened. "John! Skynet's here! We have to go!" she screamed at him. John didn't even respond as he watched Savannah sprint down the hallway, only to address him by looking over her shoulder and yelling, "COME ON!"

John turned around to tell Cameron, but found her brushing past him in haste. "Come on, John. We should arm you with a weapon at the armory." she instructed.

John was still trying to wrap his mind around what was going on, he had experienced shocking and sudden experiences before, but a Skynet assault force at seven in the morning was kind of pushing it. He and Cameron jogged to the other end of the compound, and Cameron tore away the steel door that sealed the armory. She armed herself and John with a pair of M4A1 rifles and their respective magazines. "We have to go." she said. John nodded in agreement, but before they could retreat, a thunderous crush was heard above them, and part of the ceiling crashed down in front of the armory entrance; effectively blocking them.

John began to panic, "Shit! What do we do?" he asked frantically.

Cameron looked around the armory, she was unsure of how to escape. Suddenly, a loud hurricane of sounds hovered above them; Cameron and John looked upward to see an aerial Hunter-Killer scanning the room. And a blue light was seen forming near the barrel of it's mounted turret. Cameron reacted quickly, and pulled John away from the plasma blast as it hurled towards him in the air, striking the ground with a burst of blue glow and energy.

John's heart was racing fast, he turned towards his savior and nodded his head in appreciation. "Thanks." he said.

Cameron briefly returned his worried gaze, "You're welcome." she responded quickly, and continued her scan of the room, she found a particularly vulnerable spot in the concrete wall that was holding the armory together, and she quickly began a physical assault. "Stay in cover, John!" she yelled at him. John nodded quietly, and he returned his attention to the H-K, fully expecting it to aim for another shot. He gazed in horror as the H-K turned it's nose away and showed it's rear towards the opening in the ceiling. It was then that he noticed that not only was it gunship... it was a drop ship. The door containing god-knows-how-many machines opened slowly.

John looked towards Cameron, and found she wasn't making very good progress when he found the concrete was still holding up rather well. Almost sensing John watching her, Cameron turned around and explained, "John, I can't damage the wall. It's reinforced by something." she reported. John felt his chest tighten, and he looked up towards the drop ship as it lowered itself closer to the ceiling. He looked around, searching for anything that could help them. He felt blessed when he spotted a package of C4 hanging on a rack near the guns.

Cameron saw where he was looking, and she retrieved the charges and handed them to John. "Here, set the C4. I'll cover you." she said, she tried to walk away to guard the ceiling rubble, but she felt resistance as John held onto her arm, and she looked at him in confusion.

John stared deeply into her eyes, his expression laced with worry. "Be. Careful." John instructed firmly.

 _He fears for my safety. He cares._ she analyzed. Cameron resisted the smile pushing to form on her face, and slowly snaked her arm away reluctantly. John scooped up the C4 charge in his arms, and he made his way towards the impact point on the wall to set the charges. Meanwhile, the drop ship was opening the back port, and a full Terminator squad was beginning to pour out. John stared in horror, there was no way Cameron would be able to handle four Terminator's at once!

He tried to distract himself by continuing to set the charge, but he couldn't get his mind off of the overwhelming odds Cameron was facing. He tried not to turn around and face his fear, but he couldn't control his head which was practically on autopilot. Suddenly, he heard an explosion slam into the side of the Hunter-Killer, and he looked up to see the machine losing control. It toppled away from the opening in the ceiling, dropping one single triple-eight, and then crashing into the side of the Silo.

The triple-eight landed on it's hands and knees, it stood up slowly and made a charge for Cameron. She did not react quick enough however, and the superior weight of the larger machine gave her the misfortune of being tackled to the ground. The machine turned Cameron on her back and began to twist her arm around in an attempt to disable it, but Cameron countered by smashing the back of her metal skull into her opponents nose; the initial force of the blow caused the machine to jolt it's head back, and Cameron used the small window of opportunity to recover from her vulnerable position, and she kicked the machine away.

 _Attagirl._ John thought as he watched the fight. He finished the C4 placement, and turned around to assist Cameron.

Cameron stood up and grabbed the machine by it's chest plate, and she slammed it against the concrete wall. Before it could recover, a hail of bullets tore into it's servos, causing slight malfunctions in it's system. Both John and Cameron knew those rounds wouldn't do a lick of damage to the endoskeleton, but it sure came in handy to disable the wires and possibly slow down the machine. Cameron sweep-kicked the machine onto the ground, it landed on it's back, and Cameron seized the opportunity for a devastating assault.

She began to use her fists as a small, mobile battering ram, and her strength alone began to tear away at the machine as it grasped for Cameron.

"Take out his chip!" John shouted. Cameron heard him, and she pinned down the machine by its arms. She looked up, "Hurry!"

John slid into position next to the machine's head, and he took a knife from the nearby crate and propped open the chip port. He saw the glaring red eyes of the naked head, begging, demanding for his blood. John tried his best to ignore it. He reached into his pocket and pulled out a power of sharp pliers, and tore out the chip with effort. He sighed in relief as he watched the machine's eyes go dead.

Cameron stood up, she looked at John and smiled in appreciation. "Thank you for helping me." she said. John replied with his own smile, "The least I could do is return the favor." he replied with his face going a little red.

John saw their friendship slowly begin to heal as he and Cameron stared into each other's eyes; unfortunately, he had bigger things to worry about. He and Cameron took cover as John pressed the detonator, and chunks of concrete and small bits of Coltan practically rocketed out of the way. The pair made their way outside and back into the hallway.

* * *

"John! Cameron!" the familiar voice of Savannah called out to them. The pair looked towards the right end of the hallway, and they both saw Savannah waving them forward with her right hand, while her left was occupied holding a SMAW launcher.

"Go with her, John. I need to get John Henry's body." Cameron said.

John turned around and looked at his companion in shock. "What?! NOW? No, I won't let you endanger yourself! I just found you!" he protested.

Cameron looked at him sadly, and she snaked her hand around his jaw; her smooth skin easing his mind, and then... she did something that made John's brain shut down. He felt Cameron's lips leave their welcome mark on his right cheek, and he stared at her in utter shock. She had just kissed him.

She withdrew her hand slowly, and took steps backwards. "I'll be all right, John. I'll catch up." she said, and before John could speak his mind, Cameron broke into a sprint down the opposite hallway.

John stood in the middle of the hallway, completely unsure of how to respond, his brain was buzzing with confusing reactions. Suddenly, a piercing pain formed in his arm as a bullet struck him in the muscle. He screamed in pain, "SHIT!" and he retreated behind the door that was open. Savannah watched in horror as probably a dozen machines came up the stairs, all firing their weapons in her and John's direction. She wasted no time aiming the launcher at the small group, and she fired-sending a rocket whistling down the hallway. It struck right above the wall that enclosed the stairs, probably taking out three of them.

John saw his chance to run, and he broke into a full sprint toward Savannah. His arm was gushing small amounts of blood, he and Savannah knew they wouldn't last long if they didn't get out of the hallway this minute. Savannah tore off a piece of her ACU jacket, and wrapped it around the wound. "We'll get the bullet out later. Right now, we need to get the hell out of here." Savannah said as she tied the cloth in a knot.

The pair took an alternate exit out of the facility, and Savannah climbed down a ladder that led outside. She was followed by John, and the two eventually found themselves outside where they had parked the truck. They made their way towards the vehicle, and Savannah tried her best to start the truck, and unfortunately the fifteen year-old engine was giving her problems. "Come on! Come on you piece of shit!" she vented as the key failed to produce a response.

John saw Cameron running outside carrying John Henry in her arms. She opened the back door and slid him into the back seat. "Drive." she ordered.

Savannah slammed her arm into the wheel. "Shit! It won't start." she said as the truck let out another failed whine. The glass in front of her shattered, and Savannah ducked along with John. Cameron saw a whole force of Terminators firing F-2000's at them. It was only a matter of time before they were overrun. Then, like a blessing from the heavens, the truck rumbled to life, and everyone held their breath to see what the next few moments would hold.

* * *

Savannah floored the gas pedal, sending the truck screeching in reverse, and she quickly adjusted the gear into drive, before sending her foot plummeting onto the gas again. John looked behind him to see the truck was quickly leaving the Terminators behind, and he sighed in relief. John was almost out of breath, and he checked his arm to find the cloth that Savannah had wrapped around his wound was soaked in blood. It stung like hell too.

The sudden red outburst grabbed Cameron's attention, and her eyes widened at the wound, "John, are you okay?" she asked in worry as she examined the wound.

John nodded, "I'm fine. Just stings a bit." he replied as he tried to control his breathing. Cameron used her enhanced vision to determine the impact point, and how to get the bullet out.

 **5.56 NATO round. EXTRACTION WILL BE PERFORMED MANUALLY-SUGGEST MINIMAL PRESSURE TO MINIMIZE PAIN FOR SUBJECT.**

Cameron looked at John, with dread very much present. "John... I need to remove the bullet. Please... don't move."

John began to protest, "Cam! Wait!" he yelled as he tried to halt her; only to be cut off by the sound of his own yelp of pain. Savannah turned around for a brief moment, "Hey! What the hell's going on back there?" she asked in worry and slight annoyance. She was met with the sight of Cameron digging a small blade into the bullet wound in John's arm. She was so caught up in the hurtful sight that she felt the truck bump high in the air from steering off course.

Cameron snapped her head up, and glared at Savannah. "Pay attention! I cannot keep the bullet removal process steady if you are not keeping the vehicle itself steady!" Cameron growled. Although Savannah was indeed scared by Cameron's outburst, it sounded like she had been actually angry with her. Not that she couldn't blame her...

Cameron returned her attention to John. She reached over and gently stroked his jaw with her thumb, she looked into his eyes. "It'll be okay, John. I will not let you die." she promised.

John smiled at her. "I know you won't." he said as his eyes closed, he felt the world enclose around him, he couldn't hold on. His head drooped off to the side, hanging off of John Henry's thigh.

Cameron felt a strange surge pass through her systems. "John!" she yelled. She continued to peel away the bloody skin, eventually revealing the bullet buried deep in muscle and tissue. She carefully plunged the knife into the unconscious John's arm, and plucked away the shell. She watched it race through the air, before finally coming to rest on the floorboard. Cameron initiated a heart scan, and found that John was still alive, but his heart was pumping faster to compensate for the blood that was lost. She quickly tore off part of her sleeve and replaced the cloth that Savannah had used.

Before she could proceed any further, she felt the vehicle come to a dead halt. She looked at Savannah who was staring straight forward at the road ahead. Cameron focused her attention to where Savannah was staring at, and she was met with the sight of two CH-47's landed in the middle of the road. She watched a large African-American man step out of the back and hold up a megaphone to his mouth.

"Savannah Weaver, John Connor, and those who accompany-you are traitor's to the Resistance and you will be court marshaled. Step out of the vehicle with your hands-up; if you don't, my troops have the authority to use deadly force." he said.

"Perry." Cameron muttered to herself. She observed the two squadrons of Resistance fighters aiming their guns at the truck. If they opened fire, John would be defenseless, and John Henry would be compromised. Savannah turned around and looked at her, unsure of how to respond.

 _ **"Do it."**_ A text displayed on her HUD.

A moment passed by as Cameron failed to move. And John Henry wrote again, " _ **You and John will be fine... I promise."**_

Cameron felt something in her chest. She wasn't sure what it was, but it felt like something was falling, but it was stuck somewhere and didn't. What was happening? She didn't have time to analyze it. She and Savannah stepped out of the truck with their hands up. General Perry gave the signal for his troops to secure the truck. Savannah looked at the CH-47 and saw Derek and Kyle. They were both standing with guns in hand giving her a hated glare that said: 'Traitorous bitch'.

Savannah felt tears threaten to spill. She had come so close, only to be stopped by the people she wanted nothing more than to protect. She had failed.

* * *

 **I haven't forgotten about "Cameron watches movies" (my S2 AU story); I just haven't had the motivation to update it since I'm so focused on updating this story. For the next movie, I'm thinking about the original Alien-but I'm open to ideas.**

 **One last thing: A reviewer said that during John's confrontation with Savannah, she or humanity wouldn't "need" Cameron-Only John. (In context of Savannah trying to get John to apologize to Cameron, saying they both need her as much as humanity does.) I must respectfully disagree; The Savannah in this story is much more optimistic about machines than any of the others. She believes that Cameron is a positive influence on John, and she is a strong ally. So Cameron's presence is beneficial to all parties (those being Savannah, John, and humanity.)**


	13. Chapter 13

**Chapter 13: End of the line**

* * *

 **WARNING! EXTREMELY GRAPHIC BATTLE SEQUENCE IN THIS CHAPTER**! **YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED!**

* * *

Savannah was sat on her knees. She was in total submission and held at General Perry's mercy. He had an entire firing squad ready to do their job if she made even the slightest wrong move. Meanwhile, Kyle and Derek stood in horror at the sight of Cameron. Both of them dumbstruck by her flawless resemblance of Allison, minus the red eye of course.

"General?" Derek called.

Perry turned around, annoyed that Derek had stopped his investigation of the truck. "What do you need, lieutenant.?" he replied.

Derek stared Cameron down, a gesture she kindly returned. "Permission to kill it?" he asked, rasing his weapon.

Perry thought about his answer, until he saw one of the soldiers dragging out John Henry and John Connor. Both of them completely unresponsive.

"They alive?" Perry asked.

The soldier put his head to John's chest, he felt a faint yet suppressive heart-beat, albeit barely. "Yes, General. This one's alive." he said.

"The other?"

The soldier performed the same action on John Henry. He couldn't hear a heartbeat, but he did spot a strange incision on the top of his head. He reached his hand to investigate, pulling aside the cut flesh, and horrified himself with the sight of a metal skeleton. "This ones a machine sir. No chip." he reported.

Perry nodded, and turned his attention back to Derek. "Negative. Connor's gonna be court-martialed, and then we're gonna make him watch us torch...her." Perry said, pointing his finger at Cameron.

Cameron had to ignore the termination order that appeared on her HUD. As much as she was urged to follow through, she couldn't risk John. She studied Kyle and Derek, the latter of whom she noticed was looking at Savannah. When Kyle approached the subdued girl, she slowly tilted her head up, managing to position the sun behind Kyle's head as she looked him in the eye.

"Kyle... I swear, there's more to this than it looks!" she pleaded, her hands still raised.

The younger of the Reese brothers simply looked at her with sympathetic eyes. "I sincerely hope there's fruit to that story. Because in everyone's eyes... you're a traitor." he said.

Savannah's gaze was strong. "Does that include you?"

"Everyone." Kyle snapped.

General Perry stood at the top of the loading ramp of the chopper. "Alright, everyone. Load em' up!" he ordered.

Kyle heard the order loud and clear, and he raised his rifle, aiming the barrel directly in Savannah's face. "On your feet."

* * *

This wasn't the first time Cameron had heard the rumble of a chopper in the air. Especially in these unfortunate circumstances. She made sure to keep a good eye on Kyle and Derek, as both of them were doing the same with the unconscious John and the disabled John Henry. The chopper hovered ever closer to the landing pad of General Perry's base... back where it all started. Savannah was the first one off the chopper, followed by Cameron and the others. General Perry approached one of the medics waiting on stand-by for his orders.

"Get a gurney for the boy and the machine. I want Connor up by 0200. We'll figure something out with the machine." Perry ordered.

The medic nodded. "Yes, General." he acknowledged with a salute. He and the others prepared gurneys to transport John, and John Henry. General Perry directed his gaze to Cameron, who stood next to Savannah with Derek and Kyle watching them closely. When the medics had finished rolling John and the disabled A.I. away, General Perry signaled for his men to escort Savannah and Cameron inside the base.

Kyle nudged Savannah in the waist with the barrel of his gun; she and Cameron began to follow Perry into the rubble-ridden base. Passing numerous tunnel rats along the way, the sight that Cameron observed was all-too familiar to her. Though she could never feel the heavy famine like humans could, she had a good idea from the sight before her. To Savannah, the air was stale, full of a tasteless breeze and a humid atmosphere. Although she was used to it at Camp Glen, it felt much stronger here.

It wasn't long before Perry led them into a clean-room... and it showed. The room was devoid of any dust or grime, it must've been deep underground. General Perry approached a keypad that was placed next to what seemed to be a solitary confinement room. No doubt built for soldiers who might have lost their sanity during the war. He punched in a few numbers, and the metal door slid aside.

General Perry didn't need to say anything. Savannah and Cameron were already walking inside the cell. Perry grabbed Cameron by the shoulder, and spun her around. He looked her dead in the eye, towering over her when he spoke.

"I can put two and two together. We both know the reason you haven't broken out of those cuffs is because its your mission is to protect them." he started. Cameron simply stared back at him, waiting for him to continue. "You try to break out of this cell... I kill him. The boy will be in a holding cell until he wakes up. He'll be surrounded by a squad of elite tactical troopers. The reason I haven't ordered them to off him yet is because I need information." he paused, and he leaned closer until he and Cameron's noses were practically touching. "If I hear shit go down. The whole base gets to hear me deliver the kill order...clear?"

Cameron was more than aware General Perry was not intimidated by her. For an odd, unexplainable reason, she still felt the need to stare dead straight into Perry's eyes, hoping her exposed one provided some discomfort for the towering General. Although the determined and fearless expression he wore made it seem unlikely. Three seconds passed before Cameron responded. "Clear." she forced out.

General Perry stepped away, leaving his merciless stare hang on Cameron for a moment before turning away. He punched in a few numbers on the keypad, and the door slid shut. Leaving Cameron and Savannah with the company of the bright room that enclosed them.

Perry pointed to Howard. "Howard, you're on guard duty." he ordered.

"Yes, sir." Howard acknowledged.

Perry walked past Howard and called out to Derek and Kyle before leaving the room. "Derek, Kyle, meet me in my office for your mission debrief." he ordered.

Kyle and Derek stared at General Perry's silhouette as it slowly marched away into the darkness-leaving silence as the fill in it's place. Kyle and Derek exchanged uncomfortable glances with Howard before slowly walking out of the clean room. Howard in turn watched their forms drown in the darkness, and he was left with his duty. He began to stare at the ground and ponder his situation; he felt obligated to the Resistance, and would serve them until his dying breath, but was this 'John Connor' truly working for Skynet? Was it all a very dangerous misunderstanding? And who was the Terminator that accompanied him? The one who looked like Allison?

He began to go across options on what all of this could add up to. Was the Allison-bot his... love machine? Howard cringed at the thought and quickly felt his body shiver out of sheer uncomfortable take-over. _Jesus, I get Allison is good-looking but making a robot modeled after her is just...creepy._ _That red eye doesn't make it any better._ he thought. He smirked to himself, despite how bad his personal humor was, he couldn't help but substitute it for the lack of entertainment.

Suddenly, Howard's smile became a confused, yet clarified frown. _Hold on. General Perry and the machine didn't fight, so where did she get the battle damage from? It could've been another Resistance patrol but we haven't had a patrol in that area for months. Was she... fighting other machines?"_ Howard thought, trying to find a way to piece the illogical puzzle. Curiosity had him in a death grip, and he opened the small door slit to get a closer look at the Allison-bot's battle damage.

He saw the machine and Savannah quietly speaking to one another, and decided to intervene in fear of them plotting an escape. "Hey!" he called.

Cameron and Savannah turned their gaze to Howard, and Savannah scowled. "What?" she snapped.

Howard got a close look at the battle damage, one entire side of her face was completely blown off. Showing a glinting metal endoskull, and displaying a piercing red eye. Howard got a good look and closed the slit. He stood back against the wall and closed his eyes, hoping to calm himself down. That was the longest he'd ever stared directly at an exposed Terminator.

Hopefully that's as close as he'll ever get.

* * *

The silence was killing Savannah. She was completely sure it wasn't bothering Cameron, but she had had enough of laying on her fist and trying to sleep. She figured she might as well talk to the one and only Cameron before her inevitable death.

"This is where he started you know." she stated, swiftly grabbing Cameron's attention. Savannah kicked her legs onto the cushioned slab. "Here. Trying to find you."

Savannah was expecting a primitive response, but the one she received surprised her greatly. "He's going to die because of me." Cameron stated, and she looked at the ground. If Savannah didn't know better, she would have assumed that expression Cameron bore was one of guilt. Although she dismissed it as a synthetic emotion, she still felt bothered and sat up straight.

Unconsciously, Savannah placed a comforting hand on the Cyborg's back. She didn't know why, but she did. When she spoke, it was a voice of care and sympathy. "Hey, you protected John the best you could. We all did." Savannah paused, she briefly lost the grip on her emotional barriers, and tears threatened to spill. "We don't always succeed."

Cameron offered no noticeable response to Savannah's hand on her back. She sat completely motionless, staring at the ground. "John told me... before he sent me away." she started, pausing for emphasis. "He told me he trusted me, and that he was counting on me... I failed him. I did not succeed."

Savannah stared at the cyborg, completely unsure how to respond. She felt like reality was bending around her, watching this machine. Cameron briefly looked at Savannah. "I failed John Connor."

Savannah had nothing to say, and Cameron went quiet, she stared at the door, completely unmoving. Savannah decided not to push the matter further. Whatever she was saying, it was clearly igniting a negative response from the machine. Savannah slouched onto the cushioned bed, and felt herself drift away. Not to a dream... but something else.

A memory.

* * *

 **2012**

It was a hot day at the Resistance base. The aerial recon by flying HK's had given the commanders a scare earlier that morning, and they decided to give arms training to the young children. Savannah stood by, and watched the others fire their small-arms pistols. She sat on one of the ammo crates, looking very nervous as the quartermaster approached her. He was a tall man in his mid-forties, with a thick mustache and a blind eye. Just like everyone, he still thought her name was Sarah. The fake name Ellison had given her.

"You ready?" he asked her.

Savannah was so nervous she was beginning to sweat. "Yes, sir." she replied glumly.

The quartermaster smiled. He held out a hand to help her up. "Outstanding."

* * *

"Don't grip the handle so tight." the quartermaster advised, watching Savannah grip the handle so tight she was sweating. "And don't lock your arms. This is all you." he added. He helped Savannah relax her elbows, allowing her better control of the small pistol. He watched her align the sights, taking aim at the paper target in front of her.

"Fire!" he shouted.

On command, Savannah squeezed the trigger, sending a nine-millimeter bullet jet through the air. It hit the second layer, and she huffed in annoyance.

The Quartermaster frowned. "You're aiming to high, aim lower next time. Remember what I said..."

"...It's all me." Savannah finished.

The Quartermaster smiled. "That's right."

Before they could continue, the Quartermaster heard a loud explosion coming from the other side of the mountain. He and Savannah looked towards the Sky, only to be met with the sight of plasma scorching the mountainside. His eyes widened, and he quickly turned his attention to Savannah. They both had the same look on their face... _Skynet attack._ "Sarah, look. I need you to get inside and find Captain Smith. He'll know what to do." he ordered.

Savannah nodded. She was a soldier, she wouldn't fail her task. She freed herself from the Quartermaster's grip and made haste inside the bunker. The Quartermaster watched to make sure Savannah was safe inside the mountain, and when he was sure this was so, he made his next move on top of the observation platform. Once he was inside the small enclosed platform he retrieved his radio. He put the speaker up to his mouth and began issuing orders:

"Attention! This is Quartermaster Hogan; the base is under attack by Skynet forces. All available military personnel report to the armory and retrieve weapons immediately. This is not a drill." he said, he attached the small device to his overcoat, grabbed his rifle, and followed the other soldiers inside the base.

Meanwhile, Resistance forces were holding the main gate on the other side of the mountain. The large metal doors were being bashed in by an Ogre tank, one of Skynet's favored units. Human soldiers mounted machine turrets on the sandbags, no doubt preparing for a major assault. James Ellison, who was still undergoing the alias of "Preston Smith" was one of the soldiers holding position on the front lines.

His friend, Captain Nathan Reynolds slid into position beside him. "What do we got, Captain?" he asked as he aimed at the door with his Scar-H.

Ellison kept the eyes on his sight the whole time. "The boys are saying there's an assault force of T-1's waiting for us. They've got armored support with an ogre." he replied in a quiet voice. There was silence for a moment before Ellison spoke again. "Is Sarah safe?"

Reynolds sat completely still while aiming the gun at the door, watching it buckle under the pressure of the ogre tank. "Yeah, I saw her with Lieutenant Hogan. She's in good hands."

Ellison nodded, "Alright." he replied. He was beginning to feel the pressure get to him, he promised himself he wouldn't put Savannah in harm's way. It seemed, at this point... that was inevitable. A loud screech was heard all around the hanger from which the assault would take place, as the door buckled under the pressure. Everyone saw the hinges give to, and the fifteen-foot door fell like a titan, crashing into the ground.

If Ellison were to describe what opening hell's gate would look like... this would be it. The bright sunlight blinded the soldiers who weren't wearing sunglasses or face visors, while everyone else opened fire. The bullets proved useless against the T-1 machines as they returned fire-causing many Resistance casualties inside the hanger. As Ellison looked around, he couldn't take it anymore. It wasn't even twenty seconds into the battle and they were already losing. He activated his communications device. "This is Captain Smith! Requesting sniper support NOW!" he screamed into the microphone.

Ellison heard the other end crackle in reply. "Acknowledged. Anti-material units on the way."

Ellison took a deep breath and thanked god above. At least he was thankful until he heard a deafening explosion completely obliterate the command platform above him. The screams of the burning survivors were deafening to him, as the ring of the explosion left his ears ringing. It was no doubt the Ogre tank. He saw Nathan next to him fearlessly firing his weapon at the T-1's, until he turned his head with an urgent look. "We need to fall back! They're advancing too quickly!" he yelled.

Ellison took a quick peek over the sandbags, and saw that his comrade was most definitely correct. The horde of machines were overwhelming the Resistance soldiers in the hanger. He saw the mounted mini-guns on the T-1's completely tear the soldiers to shreds, leaving bloody chunks as the only remainder. Ellison witnessed the Ogre tank fire primitive laser blasts on it's underbelly. Completely burning off the Resistance soldier's limbs, or worse, scorching their body in flame. It was the first he'd cried in a very long time.

He felt Captain Reynold's arm grasping his right shoulder. "Preston! Stay with me!" he grabbed Ellison's collar and pulled his attention away from the battle. "WE HAVE TO GO! NOW!" he screamed in Ellison's face.

Ellison looked into his comrades eyes. He knew he wouldn't leave him behind, but Ellison would NOT drag him down due to his own inability to act. He managed a brief nod, although a weak and shocked one. Nathan didn't waste any time, pulling Ellison up, and hurrying away, following the other soldiers in a retreat. Their were about a dozen other soldiers in retreat, while those not as lucky were caught in the carnage. What disturbed Ellison most, was the fact that there was not one disabled T-1 on the ground.

Ellison and Nathan reached the second line of the bunker, and Nathan mounted one of the mounted .50 caliber machine guns, and began firing towards the machines. Ellison let the last of the retreating soldiers in, before sealing the titanium door shut. Unfortunately, Nathan's gunfire caught the attention of the ogre, and it fired one of it's missiles directly at the open window where the machine gun was mounted. Nathan's eyes widened as the missile burned a path directly toward them. He turned toward his comrades, and shouted "GET THE FUCK DOWN!"

Upon hearing his words, everyone ducked under the window, and the missile struck. The loud explosion left everyone in the room deaf, and the cover that was once the bunker was now gone. Ellison was the first to recover, "Everyone! Get inside the base NOW! If it hit's us again we're all dead! MOVE!" he ordered. Not one single soldier failed to complete his order, as all of them retreated down the hallway. With Ellison and Reynolds close behind. As the soldiers marched deeper into the bunker, Ellison heard his radio crackle.

"This is Smith, go ahead." he said.

The radio crackled in response. "Captain smith, this is General Perry of the 132nd. What's your status? Over."

Ellison was confused. Why was _the General Perry_ contacting him? He was only a Captain. Actually, he didn't care. It's not like it was at the top of his problem list. "Sir, a Skynet assault force is closing inside the bunker. We've suffered innumerable casualties, and inflicted none of them. The civilians are in immediate danger, and I don't know where the hell command is!" he replied over the radio.

It was a second before General Perry responded. "Captain Smith, everyone else is dead. I can't get contact with Commander Martin OR Lieutenant Hogan. You and Reynolds are the highest ranking officers as of now. I'll have choppers drop down Abrams tanks to assist you." Perry asked.

Ellison clicked the speaker in haste. "Roger that." he replied as the group made it inside a large water plant. He set down his rifle and tried to catch his breath. Reynolds hastily assisted the others in deploying the light machine guns on their tripods. Where was their sniper support? They lost nearly half of their men because they had NO sniper support. He leaned back against one of the water pumps, he tried to rest until something clicked in his mind... Savannah. Where was Savannah? He looked all around him in panic. All he saw were nervous soldiers on the verge of breakdown, and dirty civilians trying to comfort their loved ones.

"Mr. Ellison?" a voice behind him called gently.

Ellison snapped his head around, to see the small 11-year-old girl looking nervously at him, on the verge of tears. His eyes widened and he wrapped the girl in a hug. "Oh my god, Savannah! Are you alright?" he asked.

Savannah held Ellison tight, looking around at all the exhausted soldiers. Noticing over half of them missing. "Where is everyone?" she suddenly asked.

Ellison sighed, and he let the girl loose from his arms. "Savannah, they're out fighting. We have to hold off the best we can. Reinforcements are coming." he reassured.

Savannah didn't show any sign of being reassured, she simply stared at him with her droopy eyes. "Are we going to die?" she asked.

Ellison shook his head, and he tenderly took Savannah's hand. "I won't let that happen... I promise."

Ellison hugged Savannah quickly once more, and then he felt his radio cackle again. "General Perry?"

"Affirmative, Captain. Airstrike is on it's way to take out the remaining machine forces outside the hanger. Danger close, over."

"Affirmative sir." Ellison replied. He pocketed his radio and shouted over his shoulder, "DANGER CLOSE!"

Almost on cue, the ground rumbled as the airstrike took place. Nobody inside the plant knew how big of a dent it left on the Skynet assault force; but hopefully it hurt it bad. Ellison heard over the radio, not Perry's voice, but someone else. "Good hit, good hit. Multiple targets neutralized. Ogre is down!" it reported.

Perry's voice appeared over the mic this time. "Goddamn, Smith. Looks like that Ogre knocked on your door a little too hard. The tanks are closing in for the drop. ETA three minutes." he reported.

Ellison nodded. "Thank you, sir." he was just glad to hear the Ogre had been taken out.

"Just doing my, job. Captain. We'll get your evacuation soon. Can you hold out against the remaining T-1's? Over." he asked.

Ellison thought for a moment. There were a lot of T-1's inside the base, and none of his men barely inflicted a dent on the machine. He gave him the honest answer. "Negative, sir. Skynet must have upgraded the T-1 plates. The bullets won't penetrate the armor." he replied.

The radio crackled in response. "Understood, Captain. Can you retreat further into the base? Over."

Ellison looked around. Their were no tunnels leading deeper into the base, as the water plant was not connected to any other part of the bunker. This was the last stand.

He reported over the radio. "Negative, sir. We're in the water plant, and it doesn't have access to any other part of the base."

Before Perry could respond, he heard one of his men shout: "METAL!" only to be swiftly cut off by a 5mm round tearing through his chest. Upon seeing the event, the entire room erupted into utter chaos, with multiple Resistance fighters screaming "FIRE!", followed by a simultaneous hail of gunfire from every single weapon in the room-all directed at the hallway where the round had come from.

Taking a look, Ellison saw the hallway swarmed with T-1 machines.

The perfect set up for a grenade counter-attack. Ellison pulled the pin on his frag grenade, and hurled it toward the machines. Upon detonating, the flaming flash scattered the metal. Ellison was confident he had taken care of them, until he felt a piercing pain strike him right above his chest. "GAH!" he screamed in pain. He fell to his knees, and covered the impact point with his right hand, trying to stop the bleeding. His choice to remain in the open would prove fatal, as another bullet struck him on the collar. He once again screamed in pain, and hurried behind a concrete slab in cover.

Savannah's eyes widened, shock filling her body. Even as she saw the remaining wired abomination that was now the final T-1, she couldn't let Ellison's name escape her mouth. Not as the remaining soldiers shot and disabled the T-1.

Not even as Captain Reynolds screamed Ellison was dying at the top of his lungs.

* * *

 **2027**

Savannah felt a lone tear trickle down her left cheek. She hoped Cameron hadn't noticed her. She looked over and observed the cyborg, and saw that she hadn't moved since they had spoken before. She decided to stay quiet for another small minute, before she began to think about things. Howard was on the other side of the door, though they hadn't exactly shown themselves as close comrades throughout the time John has been here, she certainly felt like she could talk to him. She didn't even pay attention to notice if she caught Cameron's attention as she sprang up from her seat, and marched over to the metal door.

Banging loudly on it, disturbing the room with a moaning ring. "Howard! Open up!"

No answer.

She knocked loudly again. "Howard!"

Still none.

Savannah became irritated. "Howard, if you don't open this motherfucking slit, I'm going to ring your damn neck! OPEN UP!"

She heard an annoyed voice on the other side. "Fuck, fine!" it said. Expectantly, Howard slid aside the slit and peeked inside the room. "What do you want?" he asked.

Savannah took a deep breath. "Look, you have to listen to me. Skynet had an entire assault force going after John. They weren't tying to rescue him, they were trying to kill him. And if they find out he's here, you bet your ass Skynet is going to re-mount an offensive. Do you want that?"

Howard's expression was limited behind the door, his eyes offering the only emotion that was visible. "What if I don't believe you?"

Savannah was panting in fear, having no idea what the outcome of this conversation would be. "What reason do you have not too!"

She saw Howard think for a moment, hopefully she was getting to him. It was a solid seven second silence. "I'm sorry, Savannah. I cant."

He slid close the slit, ignoring Savannah's protests on the other side.

She continuously banged on the door. "Goddammit, Howard! Don't ignore me!"

Cameron looked up and observed the distraught young girl. "It's no use. He will not open the door."

Savannah impatiently looked back at her. "Yeah, no shit. Please tell me you have a plan?" she pleaded.

Cameron shook her head slowly. "No."

Her response sending a shiver down Savannah's spine. Was this machine truly capable of giving up? Did she actually believe she failed? Savannah sighed and took a seat next to her companion. She hoped Cameron was developing a plan of her own.

She hoped.

* * *

 **Nope, I'm not dead. But I did have a great deal of fun writing this chapter. I never could've guessed it would be in my top three favorites.**

 **NOTE: I don't know the exact year the ogre tanks went into production, but given Skynet's technological prowess, I think it's okay to assume 2012 is a good year for the mark one model.**

 **Sorry for the long wait. DOOM has held my attention for a long while. It's a fun game, check it out :P**

 **New chapter in the near future!**


	14. Chapter 14

**Chapter 14: Monarch**

The only sound that echoed in the dark, metal hallways were that of Catherine Weaver's feet as they made contact with the ground. She had gotten her information, she was right... Skynet was building a Time machine. The Resistance Network was rather easy to hack into, although being the CEO of a massive technological corporation, she felt that kind of stuff came easy to her. She was disguised as an average-sized, dark-haired male Resistance soldier. One of the men who guarded the intelligence room. He was an easy kill, although it took a while to find a place to hide the body.

She marched in perfect rhythm down the hallway, until she passed another soldier who turned around and spoke to her.

"Hey Diego?" he called.

Catherine deduced the man was trying to get her attention, so she stopped and turned around, trying her best to look like she knew him. She forced a smile, hoping to seem appealing.

"Yeah?" she said in a gruff tone. A little annoyed at the interruption.

The man looked noticeably toned-down, definitely caught off-guard by Catherine's lackluster attitude. "Did you know Perry's siphoning more of our medical supplies for that prisoner? We've got thirty wounded in the infirmary and he's using it on pieces of shit like that!" The soldier complained.

Upon hearing his words, Catherine became genuinely interested. "What prisoner?" she asked.

The soldier pointed down the hallway. "Oh, they're keeping him down the hall. He's in one of the cell's down there." The soldier paused for a second, and shrugged his shoulders. "He looks about sixteen, maybe seventeen, brown hair."

Catherine's first reaction was " _It couldn't be!"_ before quickly shifting to _"How did he get caught?"_

Seeing Catherine looking down at the floor, with a look of what seemed like a mix of anger and fear, the soldier raised an inquisitive eyebrow.

"You good, Diego?"

Catherine immediately shifted her head upward. "Yeah, I'm fine. Did the prisoner say anything?"

The soldier shook his head. "No, he's out. I'm not entirely sure, but I heard the medical team talking about a bullet wound. Apparently he's gonna survive and Perry's going to make sure he tells us everything we want to know."

Catherine faked a satisfied smile. "Okay, we'll grab a beer in the lounge later, yeah?" she asked, feigning companionship.

The soldier shrugged. "Sure, why not?"

Catherine nodded in return before turning around and walking away. Despite her time managing a technological corporation, she found it rather difficult passing herself off as a gruff, ruthless soldier. Regardless, she walked down the hallway until she passed the first cell. She looked inside, only to find it desolate, she moved on to the second, there was one person, but it wasn't John-just a starving tunnel rat. She moved to the cell following, and she finally found the unconscious John lying on the medical table, with numerous bandages wrapped around his arm. She frowned in slight annoyance before forcing open the door. Before entering, she stabbed the single camera inside with her sharp blade. Hopefully that would buy her some time.

She steps inside and walks slowly to John's side. She stares into his closed eyelids, seeing them twitch slightly from the movement of his eyes. No doubt he was dreaming. She had to move fast, no doubt there would be a soldier coming to investigate why the camera feed stopped working. She starts gently tapping John on the cheek with her hand, and he slowly opened his eyes.

From John's perspective, he saw a blurry silhouette where Catherine stood; but when his vision cleared, he saw a latino-looking, medium-height soldier staring down at him, one whom did not look at all pleased. He smiled gladly at the person above him, and the soldier tilted his head in confusion.

"You usually smile when facing interrogation, kid?" Catherine first spoke, trying to play herself off as the _actual_ human interrogator.

John smirked, clearly unfazed at Catherine's attempts to fool him. "You usually forget to change the eye color when you take a form, Catherine?" he said in a satisfyingly victorious tone.

Catherine was briefly confused, before realizing she had actually overlooked the fact that she had not replaced her normal silvery-blue to match the soldier's dark brown. Before she spoke to John, she morphed back into her Weaver form, but keeping the soldier's clothes. She watched John stand up with an annoyed look on her face. "How did you spot that? It is a very miniscule detail." she demanded to know.

John rubbed his wrists from the restraints. He looked up at her with a smug expression. "My mom taught me to know my enemy. From the style of their hair, to the color of their eyes... even the accent. No matter how annoying it may be." he replied.

He almost couldn't stop himself from the outburst of laughter as Catherine glared at him. "Charming." she sneered. "Let us go, the base will soon be alerted to our presence. We will have to fight our way out."

She didn't waste a second finding amusement in John's mood plummet. "Wait, what?! Hold the phone! Fight?"

Catherine smiled. "Yes, John, fight. Unless you plan on using your witty humor on them?" she fired back.

She took further pleasure in watching John's attitude stiffen. She had this verbal duel locked down.

* * *

The Radar attendant focused on the rising signatures that inched closer and closer to the base. They were marked as bright dots, and there were hundreds, perhaps thousands of them. The attendant turned to the technician next to him, both of their expressions signifying fear.

The attendant turned around and shouted, "General!".

Perry's name caught his ears, and he quickly moved away from his position near his desk in his quarters. "What is it, Chester?" he asked him, his tone demanding haste of the attendant.

The attendant pointed roughly at the dots on the screen. "Well sir uh... it appears that there is a massive Skynet assault force closing in on the Camp." he said. When he didn't get a response from the General, he looked up and saw the sweaty, fear-ridden face of General Perry staring in complete terror at the screen.

"...My god..." were the only words he managed to utter out.

The radar attendant was looking frantically back and forth from Perry to the radar. "Orders, sir?"

Perry continued to sweat, although he tried to hold back his fear from becoming visible on his face. "How far are our reinforcements?"

The attendant returned his attention to the radar for a brief second. "ETA, nine hours. The Skynet patrol will be here in approximately eleven." the attendant answered.

Perry felt relieved, he wiped away the sweat from his forehead before returning to his duties. "Alright, we've got time. Put the base on high alert an-"

 _BUZZ!_

 _BUZZ!_

 _BUZZ!_

Perry was interrupted mid-sentence by the piercing sound of the base alarm. He looked around frantically, hoping to find the source of the ear-piercing sound. He retreated outside to see his soldiers grabbing weapons from the armory, and running down the dimly-lit hallway to confront whatever threat had made itself known. Perry quickly grabbed one of the soldiers and pulled him to the side.

"Corporal, what the hell's going on?!" Perry demanded in an unpleasant, impatient tone.

The Corporal looked completely fear-struck. "Sir! A skynet stealth-force has attacked the base. It took out the sentries, but not before they reported it's numbers."

Perry was astonished the soldier decided to leave it there. "Well come on, Corporal! Are you gonna tell me the numbers or are you gonna leave me hanging like a damn monkey?"

The Corporal was quick to realize his mistake. "Sorry, sir. The Sentries said the force is estimated to be about fifty units, most of them H-K's, one of them an Ogre, the rest standard triple-eights."

Even though the force sounded overwhelming, General Perry looked rather relieved. "Fine, submit to your commanding officer on the field for the moment." he said.

The Corporal nodded. "Yes, sir."

* * *

Savannah paced back and forth, she was becoming desperate; she was also getting sick of Cameron's moping. She uncrossed her arms and looked at Cameron, whom ignored her gaze.

"Are you gonna do something?" she inquired.

Savannah expected the machine to ignore her, but she was very surprised to see her slowly navigate her gaze and face Savannah.

"What can I do?" she asked.

Savannah couldn't believe this. This was her _job!_ Why was Cameron so unwilling to do the thing she was programmed to do?

Before she could say anything more, a loud alarm echoed through the base. Suddenly, Savannah saw the doors to their cell slowly slide away, opening the passageway for them to leave. She didn't even make a step forward before she saw her Terminator companion jump up and approach Howard up front. Howard immediately aimed his plasma rifle at the machine, but couldn't even get his finger on the trigger before the machine tore away the gun from his hand with ease. Howard looked utterly terrified, he backed away from the machine and held his hands in front of his face.

Savannah knew Cameron would show Howard no mercy, and immediately jumped in front of her pathway, and mouthed: "Let me handle this." to her.

Cameron nodded, but gave her a look signifying she wouldn't hesitate to terminate the man if it looked like Savannah was in danger.

Savannah approached Howard. "Howard, listen to me. Cameron's not going to hurt you."

It looked like Howard was about to lose his mind, seeing his childhood friend being completely obediant to this machine. But the fact that Savannah addressed it by name was something completely different to him entirely. He put his hands down, and tried his best to make eye contact with the former commander of Camp Glen.

"Wait, you named it?" he asked her in an incredulous tone.

Savannah laughed a bit internally; even as the buzzing alarm tore through the base. "I didn't. John did." she corrected.

Howard looked behind Savannah, and eyed the machine up and down.

Savannah grabbed howard's chin and made him face her.

"Look, I'm not going to kill you, but John Connor can't die either. If you ever come across him... please... don't hurt him. Humanity needs him. If he dies... so does everyone else."

Savannah and Howard let a moment of silence hang between them for a small moment. Without warning, Savannah knocked out Howard with a brutal right hook.

Cameron looked at Howard's body briefly before realizing Savannah had already gotten up and began walking out of the room.

She began to follow her. "You should have let me terminate him." she argued.

"Why?"

"It would have saved us time."

Savannah smiled as she walked forward, before realizing the irony of the moment.

Time it seemed... was not on their side.

* * *

With all the soldiers moving quickly through the base, it seemed rather easy for John and Catherine to sneak through the base. Although, between the loud alarm and the soldiers barking orders to each other-they could barely hear each other speak. Catherine pulled John to the side inside of a small opening in the hallway, waiting for all the soldiers to pass.

When they did, Catherine pulled John out again. "John, I need you to tell me everything that's happened. How you got caught, why you were imprisoned, everything!" the machine demanded.

John mentally searched for the answer to her question that didn't sound like verbal regurgitation. "Alright, look. We went to that Nuclear Base just like you said, we held out there until the next morning. Thing is, Skynet rings the fuckin' doorbell and nearly kills us all. So we get outta there in this old truck until we come across a military road block by Perry. He thinks I'm a traitor for running off with Savannah, and here I am."

Catherine looked like she was about to tear John's head off for endangering John Henry. "Why didn't you avoid the road block?" she gritted.

John lost his high attitude. "I would've, I was out cold and Savannah was driving."

"How?"

"Got shot."

Catherine grabbed the arm with bandages, and peeled them away, revealing a small bullet wound that looked like it was healing. "Where is the bullet?"

"Cameron pulled it out." he answered.

He thought back to their moment in the truck when he felt himself slipping away. He remembered fearing for his life, he remembered how scared he was fearing the possibility of never seeing his mother again, never seeing Savannah again, or John Henry, or hell, even seeing Catherine would be better than dying from blood loss. But the worst part about it all... was never seeing Cameron again.

He still remembered it clearly, seeing Cameron working with focus and speed trying to remove the bullet, reassuring him she wouldn't let him die. He swore, he _SWORE..._ he saw a single tear on her cheek as she watched him slip into a dark, dreamy world.

"John?" a voice outside his memory called to him.

He snapped out of it, he didn't even realize his mistake, and all he did was apologize. "Sorry. Anyway, that's basically all that happened with me. Did you find out anything."

Catherine smiled, pleased they had moved on to her own subject. "I did John, I do suppose you could say 'I hit the Jackpot'."

John felt his soul rejoice. "Awesome! So Skynet is working on a TDE?" he asked her.

Catherine nodded and began circling John. "Among other things." she replied vaguely.

John wondered why Catherine was putting on this dramatic act. "Like what?"

"Well, there is a project to develop animal Terminator's, even insect ones. But there is one project you may be particularly interested in." she said.

That was it, John had had enough of Catherine's act. "What the hell are you on about?"

Catherine stopped circling John. Instead, she simply gazed at him in front of him. "I say you may be interested because the description of the project accurately describes a certain... cyborg." she replied.

Cameron? Was she referring to Cameron?

Before John could say anything, Catherine spoke again. "Project Monarch. The description reads: _Project Monarch will the cornerstone of infiltrator technology. The endo skeleton will perfectly replicate the shape and function of a human female. The machine will be tampered with on a decimal level, allowing it to be as close to the subject as possible. However, certain functions may result in self-awareness, which would compromise an asset's use. For example, the template's memories will be stored into the Monarch's own memory banks to allow easier access to personality traits, thus assisting infiltration. However, if the asset's system is compromised, it is possible for template memories to become embedded withing the asset's memories; which would lead to the asset believing it is the template it is supposed to imitate._

 _Furthermore, on a topic that needs further study, it is believed that the asset will observe the behavior of both human prisoners and soldiers; it will try to imitate every single movement, breath, tone, and look of it's subject to the smallest detail. However, this may also result in self-awareness, as the data files that store human mannerisms could also mix with the asset's data files-effectively making the asset think it IS human._ _As a result, the project has been put on hold indefinitely by Skynet in order to approach more low-risk projects."_

Catherine didn't even need to see his face to determine John was mentally paralyzed. He looked like he had just seen a ghost.

"...Wait... so you're saying-"

"Cameron is the result of Project Monarch. At least in the other timeline she was."

John felt his breathing increase, his pulse accelerated so fast he thought it was going to pop out of his neck. It definitely wasn't a coincidence that _Project Monarch_ described his machine protectorate perfectly. The glitch from the truck explosion must have compromised her memory banks, and made her think she _was_ Allison Young.

John had to take a deep breath before speaking again. "Wait, Skynet sounds super cautious about Project Monarch. Why is it putting it on hold here; while in the other timeline Skynet lets it loose?" he asked.

Catherine thought that the answer was obvious. "Because Skynet was at war with you. You were a smart leader, John Connor. Skynet needed to hit you with anything and everything it had."

John agreed. "It was desperate."

"Yes."

John suddenly looked very intense. "I don't doubt it definitely had problems with me, but what about you? You and your 'Terminator Resistance?'" John inquired.

Catherine narrowed her eyes at her human companion. "How did you know?"

"Cameron told me." John answered quickly.

"She trusted you."

John wanted to ask her if it was possible or not. But he wasn't sure if he was brave enough to hear the answer. He was debating whether to ask her when he heard a pair of soldiers running around the corner of the hallway and shouting "There he is!"

Catherine held back John. "Connor, get behind the wall. I'll take care of this."

"You're dead now, you son of a bitch!" the soldier on the right yelled as he raised his plasma rifle.

Catherine morphed into a mimetic shield reminiscent of the one she used to protect John and his mother from the H-K explosion at Zeira Corp. Both of the men looked in horror at the almost alien-like being that stood before them.

"Well what the hell are staring at me for? SHOOT IT!" one of the soldiers screamed.

Following true on his words, the pair of soldiers began firing their weapons at Catherine. Her body could not block against the super-heated plasma as it tore through her, and eventually she was nothing more than puddle on the floor.

When both of the men began marching towards John, they witnessed the metal slither towards them on the ground. Before they could retreat, Catherine morphed into her human shape again, and formed two blades out of both her arms.

John, who was watching the whole time, couldn't watch anymore. Especially as he heard the sickening slice of flesh, and the sound of what he assumed to be two heads hitting the floor.

He waited until Catherine had approached him first before speaking. "You didn't have to do that!" he protested.

Catherine didn't appreciate his tone. "Why? They were just grunts." she replied in a defiant tone.

John looked livid, even to a point where Catherine thought he would attempt to strike her. "Goddamnit! Do you want to earn my trust?"

Catherine was quick to answer. "I don't care for your trust, John. I only care that you do your job as I would do mine. We can spend the entire future war thinking one of us is going to end the other; but that's fine with me as long as Skynet is defeated." she replied.

John sighed, albeit aggressively. "No, you don't understand. Trust is a fundamental part of human interaction. Especially in times of war."

Catherine might as well have rolled her eyes. "On the contrary, it seems by simply observing history, that trust is only used in times of war to shatter it once leverage over the significant other has been acquired. This however, is an exception, since both of our ideals face extinction. So your analysis over this particular war is correct."

John sighed again. "Look, just promise you'll try not to kill anyone? As far as I'm concerned, all this blood is on my hands."

"Get used to it, John. You'll have a lot more on them." Catherine answered in her usual, condescending tone.

Without saying anything, John walked over to one of the soldier's corpses and picked up the plasma rifle, and with a quick command of his brain, pointed the gun at his chin.

"Promise not to kill anyone or my head becomes fucking paste."

Catherine briefly considered calling him out on a lie, but restrained herself from doing so when she observed his unstable state. If she didn't follow through, he may actually shoot himself.

"Very well. You have my promise that no humans will come to death at my hands." she said.

John lowered the weapon. "Alright, here's the plan. I don't know where John Henry's body is, but I'm pretty sure they're keeping him in a holding cell like me. So we're going to split up, you look for John Henry-I'm going to look for Cameron and Savannah."

Catherine immediately protested. "No John! I cannot allow you to endanger yourself. We will search together."

John shook his head. "No, it'll be faster if we split up. Look, I've survived going to post-nuclear prison, dodging General Perry, trekking across the desert, hiding from a Hunter-Killer, getting shot, losing blood, and listening to you all day. I'd say that's a pretty good fucking track record." John argued.

Rather than focusing on his insult, Catherine simply addressed his attachment to Cameron.

"You and that Cyborg are inseparable." she observed.

John smiled, realizing the truth of her words.

"And that's how I plan to keep it."

"Fine, here's a radio. I will use it to contact you when I have John Henry, and I trust you will do the same with your cyborg and Savannah."

John took his walkie. "Deal. I'll go down the south corridor, I'll radio my position when I have them." he called as he ran off.

"As will I." Catherine called back, quite uncaring whether the young Connor heard her or not.

* * *

Cameron and Savannah stood in front of a large metal door with a wheel-fed valve. Savannah waved at Cameron, and she approached the door. The following moments consisted of loud banging as Cameron crashed her fists into the metal door. Within seconds of beginning her siege, Cameron tore away the sides of the door with ease. When the door was lying on the ground, Cameron turned on her night-vision.

Savannah was the first to walk inside, being guided not by a flashlight or night-vision, but a single green light that lye in the middle of the room. She approached it slowly and picked it up.

"That device is nuclear-powered." Cameron observed.

Savannah nodded, the light displaying her facial features just above her neck. "Yes. The General had it designed two months ago, and planned to use it in case Skynet ever attacked. It has a set countdown timer of five seconds, meaning the setter needs to be a willing sacrifice. It has a blast radius of two miles; completely eliminating anything in it's path." she explained.

"A last resort device." Cameron added.

Savannah nodded. "Yeah, good thing we got to it first." She placed the device in her jacket pocket. "Come on, I think I have an idea where John is."

* * *

John raced down the corridor with incredible speed. Lucky for him, most of the soldiers were out fighting, and he had luck dodging soldiers who were in the base. He had been frantically looking for Cameron for the past fifteen minutes, he actually did wonder what luck Catherine was having. As he made his way past the next set of cells, he peeked into each one of the slits, only finding tunnel rat prisoners or finding the cells empty altogether. He was about to turn down the next set of cells, when he spotted a feminine figure peeking into the same set of cells.

He observed the features, not paying attention to the cloths, an average-sized brunette that looked like she had been through hell. John's heart raced.

"Cameron!" he yelled.

When the girl turned her head at him in response, he saw that it wasn't Cameron, for her face wasn't occupied by part of an endoskull, but was completely covered in flesh. It was then that John realized: this wasn't Cameron.

It was Allison.

On instinct, she was the first one to fire her weapon, and John barely made it behind the wall to use as cover. He wasn't sure if his situation was negotiable, but he would try.

"Allison, wait! We can talk this out!" he pleaded.

"Bite me you sick fuck!" was the response that came from her position. Followed by another spit of gunfire.

"I'm not your enemy!" he yelled back.

"The hell you aren't!" Gunfire.

John knew nothing was going to convince Allison otherwise. A situation in which he was going to be forced to turn his weapon on a girl who wanted to get into his pants only days before is a situation he wasn't sure he was comfortable with.

* * *

Allison aimed her weapon towards John's position, but before she could fire, she felt a firm strong grip on the back of her right shoulder. She screamed and turned around as fast as she could, only to be met with the familiar face of General Perry.

"What the hell's going on? I need you on the frontlines, soldier!" he vented.

Allison pointed around the corner. "Sir, it's him!" she replied in a frantic garble.

Perry's eyes widened. "Connor?"

He pulled out his M9 sidearm and took position on the other side of the hallway. Looking out, he gave Savannah a nod, signifying he had her back.

* * *

John was sweating harshly. Until he came to the conclusion he didn't have to kill Allison. He could do like Uncle Bob did-which was shoot the leg. But what if Allison bled out? He mentally fought with himself for a moment before hearing his wall being struck by gunfire again. He took a deep breath.

"Count of three, we rush 'em." Perry instructed.

Allison nodded.

Perry counted. "One.

"Two."

"Thre-"

 _Crack!_

The sound of bone crushing horrified Allison. The dead body of General Perry horrified her even more. But the face she witnessed doing the deed utterly terrified her. It wasn't someone she knew, not a grey, not a machine...

It was herself.

* * *

 **SUBJECT IDENTITY: ALLISON YOUNG**

 **AGE: 19**

 **ACTION:**

 **...**

 **...**

 **...**

 **TERMINATE**

Cameron raised her weapon, but before she could aim the sight in line with her human counterpart's head, a text appeared on her HUD.

 **" _Cameron, abort Termination."_**

Cameron tilted her head to the side, feeling unnecessarily obligated to hear John Henry out.

"Negative, John Henry. She threatens John Connor. She must be terminated.

* * *

With the extra commotion in the background, John wondered what was going on. He peeked his head around the corner, to see Cameron holding a distraught Allison Young at gunpoint.

"Cameron, wait!" a voice down the hall called. As it stepped into the light, it was revealed to be Savannah. "Abort Termination."

 _ **"John will not approve."**_

"Irrelevant. Allison Young must be Terminated."

Allison snapped out of her horrified trance, and responded in the most not-so-pleasant way.

"Then hurry up and do it you bitch!" she growled.

John wanted so badly to go out and order Cameron to stop; but he felt strangely curious how it would play out under Cameron's command. He watched closely, unsure of what the next moments would hold.

Savannah put her hands in a 'hold on' motion. "Cameron... please. She's my friend."

 _ **"Cameron. Prove to John you're better than that."**_

Cameron responded once more. "Negative. Allison Young must be Terminated."

"STOP TALKING TO YOURSELF AND SHOOT ME YOU SKYNET WHORE!" Allison taunted. With Perry dead, there was nothing left to fight for.

 _ **"Cameron. Prove to John you're better than the others. You're different."**_

The words on Cameron's screen jolted something in her memory banks, and her vision was now transformed to the first day she met John.

 _Cameron reached into the bag, and took a single chip. The words John Connor had just asked her still high in her data banks._

 _"Are you new? You seem... different."_

 _She looked at John in the eye, and with a ghost of a smile, she said..._

 _"I am."_

The memory retreated, and Cameron was now facing her own moral choice.

 **TERMINATION OVERRIDE... SPARE ALLISON YOUNG.**

"Allison Young, give me your weapon." Cameron commanded.

Allison horror turned to confusion. "W-what?" she muttered.

Cameron took a step closer. "Perhaps your audio receptors need cleaning. I said give me your weapon." she repeated.

Without hesitation, Allison kicked her weapon towards Cameron. She watched the cyborg pick it up and hand it to Savannah.

"Thank you, now leave. Leave and do not follow us. If you do, I will kill you."

Allison didn't waste a moment before she turned tail and ran down the hallway. With Savannah, and Cameron watching her from their original position.

Savannah let out a sigh of relief. "Thank you, Cameron."

Cameron slowly faced her companion. "Do you think John will be pleased?" she asked.

Suddenly, a voice from behind the corner answered her question. "Yes. He will."

Both Cameron and Savannah turned to face the source of the sound, and were surprised to see John Connor himself.

Cameron felt herself lost to an unknown anomaly gripping at her metal chest, unsure of what it was, she tossed it away as a side effect of reactivation. "John?! Are you okay?" she asked as she approached.

But John was the first to make a move. He wrapped Cameron tightly in his arms, and held her for a brief moment. Savannah watched closely, and saw the two heroes for the future in an embrace.

"I'm so proud of you, Cameron." he said.

John held her in his embrace for a moment more, before finally being met with Cameron's hands snaking around his back. Even though they both smelt like dirt, plasma, and the apocalypse, John still took comfort in their moment nonetheless.

"John? Are you okay?" a voice behind him asked,'

John peeked over Cameron's shoulder to see a highly fatigued Savannah Weaver standing.

John laughed, although it sounded more like a loud, sliced sigh rather than a laugh. "That's one way to put it." he replied. "Are you?"

Savannah nodded. "Cameron and I escaped when the base alarm unlocked all the cell doors. How did you escape?"

John answered simply, "Catherine."

Savannah's eyes widened, although John couldn't tell if it was out of fear or surprise. "Wait? She's here!"

John nodded, releasing Cameron from his hug. "Yeah. Turns out this is the base she was supposed to scout."

Savannah dismissed the coincidence. "So where is she?"

John pointed the way he came. "Finding John Henry. Look, we have to re-trace my steps and-"

"-Move it! Move it! Move it! FIRE!" a Resistance soldier screamed on the other side of the hall.

John and the others watched as the screaming soldier fired his weapon at an unknown assailant, before it was revealed to be a triple-eight Terminator. The machine grabbed the man by the throat and hurled him into the concrete wall, no doubt shattering his bones.

The machine turned it's attention down the hall, eyeing John and his companions, he made a dash for the group.

"Everyone, shoot!" John ordered.

On cue, everyone fired their weapons at the approaching machine, with the exception of Cameron's jammed Plasma Rifle. With all the bullets bouncing off of the machine's endoskeleton, Cameron dashed and collided mid-way with the opposing machine. Both of the Terminator's now locked in a grappling struggle. The triple-eight was the victor due to it's increased size, and picked up Cameron by her neck, it lifted her up into the air and slammed her body into the ground.

"NO!" John yelled, firing a hail of bullets at the machine.

Of course, the bullets didn't even faze the machine, not even granting it the burden of turning around and looking at John, it simply continued assaulting Cameron. Savannah was also firing her weapon, but was being met with the same result as John. The machine attempted to grab Cameron by the neck, but Cameron used all of her metal leg-power to push the machine away.

She attempted to pick up her gun from the ground and fire at the machine's head, but the rival Terminator grabbed her by the legs and pulled her down with him. The machines continued to wrestle on the ground, with the triple-eight's back being met with bullets all the same. It raised it's arm for a punch, but Cameron moved her head out of the way just in time for the fist to make impact with the ground.

Seeing her chance, Cameron grabbed the machine by the throat, locked her legs around it's waist, and reversed their positions. She began pounding the machine with her own fists, slowly tearing away to the metal beneath. She looked up at the others.

"John, Perry must have a grenade on his person! I need one!" she instructed.

John looked down, and sure enough, Perry's dead body held a small belt of M67's. He picked one off the belt, and pulled the pin with his teeth.

"Cameron! Heads up!" he warned.

Cameron slowly stood up and retreated from the machine. It attempted to get up, but John hurled the grenade just below the machine's legs.

John grabbed Cameron by her arm, and led her away. "DUCK!" he yelled.

Before the machine could completely recover, it was already caught in the blast radius. The blast tore the machine in half.

John uncovered his head from his hand, he stood up slowly, followed by Savannah and Cameron.

"Are you alright, John?" Cameron asked.

John looked at her and nodded. "Yeah, I'm fine. Are you?"

Cameron nodded in return, appreciating his concern. "Yes, John. I'm fine. Thank you for asking."

John smiled at her, but before he could say anything, his radio crackled. "John! John are you there? It's Catherine." the unmistakable scottish monotone echoed over the audio output of the poorly maintained walkie.

John held the radio up to his mouth. "Catherine, I'm here. Did you find John Henry?" he asked.

It was a moment before there was a reply. "I did. Did you find your cyborg and Savannh."

John replied. "Yeah, where do we meet at?"

The T-1001 ignored him. "Savannah, are you there?" she asked.

Savannah was reluctant to speak to the machine. "Yeah, what is it?"

The radio crackled. "Do you know where the APC depot is?"

"Yeah?"

"Go there, I am waiting inside with John Henry. Hurry, it's only a matter of time before the human line is broken. Move."

Savannah looked up at John. "You hear that?"

John nodded. "Yeah. Let's go."

* * *

Savannah punched in the code to the APC facility. Once the mechanical door slid aside, she saw a massive number of machines fighting human soldiers in the hanger area. John didn't leave any time for them to gawk, he simply rushed the others onward. He saw an open APC hatch, and in the dead center, saw Catherine waving at him. John waved back to acknowledge her presence.

The problem was, he couldn't see any visible way past all these machines. There were probably thirty of them fighting the maybe dozen or so Resistance fighters. Savannah knew there was no way they could get past _that_ many machines. Not even with Cameron and Catherine. She knew what she had to do.

"We can't get past them." John said with a defeated tone.

"Yes we can." Savannah replied.

John looked at her like she had just gone completely crazy.

Savannah turned her attention to Cameron. "Cam, can you drive an APC?"

Cameron replied, "Affirmative."

Savannah nodded and pulled out the nuclear IED from earlier. It caught John's eye rather quickly.

"The hell is that?"

"It's a prototype arsenal roadside armed grenade overnight nuke. Or a P-A-R-A-G-O-N, as Perry calls it. It's basically a prototype nuclear IED. It has a blast radius of two miles."

"Ok, set the countdown, and move fast." John ordered.

"It has a quick countdown John."

"Ok, set the countdown and move fast- _er"_ he replied with sarcasm.

Savannah looked like she was about to break down. "John... I won't be going with you."

John squinted his eyes in confusion. "What? What do you mean?"

Savannah began to feel emotionally burned. "It has a five second countdown. Someone has to set it."

It was now that John realized what she was saying. "What? No! You don't have to do this!" he argued frantically.

Tears escaped Savannah's eyes as she slowly grasped John's cheeks. "Listen, I need you to promise me that you'll protect them. Please."

John shook his head. "No! You can protect them with me!"

"JOHN! Listen to me! You are a soldier! Promise me you'll protect them! Kyle! Derek! Howard! Cameron! Sarah! Ellison! EVERYONE!"

John looked into Savannah's eyes, and saw the point of no return clear as day. He hesitated for a moment. "I- I promise."

Savannah returned his gaze, and gave him a hug. The two embraced for a moment, sharing each other's company for one last time. Savannah pulled away.

"Goodbye, John."

John couldn't muster the faith to bid farewell back, all he could do was stare in misery. The last moments hurt Savannah, she nodded to John, and jumped over the railing. She landed on her hands and knees, stood up and waved her arms. "HEY!" she screamed at the machines.

Every single one of the machines heard her call, and marched towards her position.

Savannah smiled victoriously. "Yeah, that's right. Come on!" she taunted. She retreated back into the base, leading the machines away from her companions. She looked at John as she entered the base. Giving him a simple nod.

As her eyes left his, he held back the tears that threatened to leave his eyes. He looked at Cameron.

"Come on, let's go."

* * *

Savannah, holding the Paragon in her arms, raced down the desolate corridors, passing numerous Resistance bodies and disabled endoskeletons. Despite running as fast and as hard as she could, she couldn't escape the inevitable dead end that greeted her. The corpses on the ground caught her eye; some of them missing limbs, or burnt until they were no longer recognized as human. There was no way out, surrounded by the dead, and her doom disguised as clanking metal and red eyes inched ever closer to her position.

The corpses of men she once knew was a sight all-too familiar to her.

* * *

"Get in, John!" Catherine hurried.

John jumped inside the APC, and Cameron took the wheel up front. She didn't waste a moment more before the APC rumbled to life, and it's wheels began spinning.

John took one last look behind him. He felt Savannah's last moments gripping into the time and space above them. These... were her last minutes of life.

The APC stormed off of the base lot, and Cameron barely avoided the plasma bombings that were aimed at the remaining Resistance soldiers. Hopefully they would escape the blast radius.

* * *

"Savannah."

"Savannah, come here." Ellison choked.

A tear-struck, and emotionally devastated Savannah approached the dying Ellison. She grabbed his bloody hand, and held tighter and more dear than she ever did life.

"Please don't go! Please!" she pleaded.

Ellison coughed up blood, some of it dripping on the floor. He reached over, and brushed away a strand of hair that dangled in front of her right eye.

"Savannah, you're a brave girl. You're the bravest girl I've ever met. Please stay strong. Fight." Ellison continued.

Savannah shook her head, sadness oozing from her expression. "No, please!" she cried. "You can fight with me!"

Ellison tried his best to give her a reassuring smile. "I wish I could, I really do. Savannah... the future relies on you. When he comes... guide him to her. He needs her."

Savannah gripped tighter onto Ellison's hand, not because she was doing it unconsciously, but because Ellison's grip was getting looser and looser. "Savannah?"

The young girl looked into his eyes, fresh tears still pouring out.

"...I love you."

And his eyes slowly shut.

Savannah broke down, her cries echoing through the medical room. She held tight onto Ellison's hand, even as Captain Reynolds tried pulling her away.

* * *

The clanking grew closer, and Savannah knew time was imminent. She pressed the countdown button on the Paragon. But even now, in humanity's darkest hour, she looked up, from the blood and the dead, and the dying, to the stars. What she saw was not humanity's end.

What she saw, was hope. And with a victorious smile, she was consumed in Nuclear fire.

* * *

The ground rumbled, sending the APC wobbling side-to-side a bit, even from two miles away, the flash was seen from the back window. John put his right hand on the glass, and began a silent mourn. The more his eyes lingered on the sight, the more he felt the need to turn away.

 _We all die for you._

Those words that echoed in his mind, hurt now more than ever.

* * *

 **You've probably realized that whenever I say: "N** **ew chapter due soon!" or something along those lines; that I take like a month to upload and am completely full of sh**. Usually it's because I've been playing the slick new video game that just came out, or because my work schedule changed. I will try my best to upload sooner.**

 **Anyway, I'm writing a fight scene for the next chapter, and would appreciate some tips on how to do so. It's going to be short but hopefully intense. Please contact me if you wish to assist me, it'd be greatly appreciated.**


	15. Chapter 15

**Chapter 15: Unlikely answers**

"Cameron, pull over." John requested as he felt the vile sensation grow larger in his stomach.

Cameron kept driving regardless, replying strongly, "Negative, John. We are not a sufficient distance from the base."

John didn't care. He felt like his insides were on fire, the burning sensation rising throughout his body. "Dammit, Cameron. I said pull over!" he snapped.

This time, Cameron slowly made contact with the brakes, and the Armored Personnel Carrier came to a slow halt. John stormed out of the hatch, not even regarding his companions. Catherine was the first one to follow him out, and made her presence known as she watched him vomit onto the cold desert ground below them.

The green and red fluids spilled from his throat onto the Earth, as John knelt down and held his balance with his hands. Cameron took concern from his condition, and accompanied him on the side. She rubbed his back gently, and John took comfort in her presence and her soothing touch. When the last of the vomit left his body, he wiped away the remaining fluids from his mouth, and slowly matched his gaze with Cameron.

There was a moment of silence, and Cameron spoke first. "Are you okay, John?"

The trance John was in broke away swiftly as the words registered to his ears. He didn't reply at first, he simply stared sulkingly at the ground.

"Cameron... she's... she's..." he couldn't finish. He couldn't bring himself to admit that Savannah was gone. He sat down onto the ground, and scooted away from the pile of waste so the smell wouldn't assault his nostrils. Despite all the traumatizing events that happened in the time he was here; Savannah's death would haunt him the most. He had cried so much in his life, but right now, in his most hurtful moment, he simply had no more tears. All he could do was stare at the horizon, with darkness eating away at whatever light was left.

Cameron gazed at him, with her own look of sadness about her. The strange sensations growing stronger as she stared at John, she ran a scan for corruption, but came back negative. Nothing was affecting her systems. Dismissing the sensations, she knelt next to John.

Catherine didn't seem to share the sentiment of the moment. "This is hardly the time to mourn. We must get as far away from the base as possible."

John made a move to glare at Catherine, his expression nothing less than resentment. "You don't even care that she's dead, do you?" he angrily inquired.

Catherine's reply came out rather snippy. Nothing less than he would expect. "It is impossible for me to 'care', John. The only thing I consider worthy of 'care' is priority. And right now, our priority should be to stretch distance between us and Skynet."

John exploded, and he rose from the ground in a flash. "She died for us! FOR YOU!" He screamed.

Catherine didn't even flinch, she expected nothing less than this kind of reaction from him. But before she could reply, Cameron cut in. "Please, do not cause John anymore stress. Give him some time. We will continue when he has mourned. It is his right."

The T-1001 turned her attention to John's cyborg. "You do realize that you are putting John in danger? If he mourns now in the midst of Skynet's search, we will all be Terminated. This is not a smart course of action." she argued.

Both of them realized John was still completely livid. He looked like he was about to hit Catherine, but Cameron placed a soothing hand onto his right forearm. He looked at her, into her eyes, and the anger completely dissipated in a matter of seconds. John silently thanked Cameron for her interference, and returned his gaze to Catherine. With no hint of shame, he gave his own thoughts on the matter.

"You're right. I'm putting all of us at risk, I can mourn later." he admitted. The words hurt more than any punch, he didn't believe them; but he knew most of what he'd have to say in the future could not take priority over necessary action.

The words shocked the two Terminators. Catherine looked like she had seen Lachlan rise from the dead, most definitely not expecting him to agree with her. She didn't give him time to speak, though. She simply sucked in her pride and decided to move the subject forward.

"Of course I am." she paused, expecting some sort of "on one condition" type of thing from John; surprisingly hearing nothing, she continued. "Now that we are both in agreement, I believe we should move onward." she replied as she retreated back into the APC.

John sighed and briefly closed his eyes. He slowly directed his eyes at a silent Cameron. She looked confused, completely taken by surprise at his choice of words.

"Look, Cameron. I appreciate what you're trying to do; really, I do." he spoke. Without thinking, he lifted his arms, and placed his hands onto Cameron's shoulders. He breathed in a short breath. "But we have to keep moving. We'll make it home... we have too."

His right hand drifted to Cameron's left, and he grasped it, entwining their fingers. Her smooth skin sending a chill of goosebumps up John's body. "Come on." he said, without letting Cameron speak, he pulled her onward, into the APC.

* * *

Derek pulled aside a piece of rubble, tossing the rock to the side. What he found beneath were the remains of a fallen Resistance soldier. Derek read the name tag stitched on the soldier's uniform... _Hurd._

Derek was used to the sight by now, he saw soldiers die every single day; he closed the still-open soldier's eyes, and pulled the dog-tags from his neck. This Skynet attack claimed many lives. For what? Trying to retrieve the kid? He was the cause of all of this. Derek looked upon the fallen soldier with pity. With every dead soldier he saw, he always spoke final words to them.

"Hurd, I didn't know you. I only saw you around the base as many times that I could probably count 'em. But like all of us, you were a soldier willing to risk it all to destroy Skynet. Despite all we did, we couldn't save you. But I promise you, Skynet is gonna pay for this. I'll make sure of it... Rest in peace, soldier."

Derek closed his fist around the dogtags. He had collected many during his time, and he always made sure to return them to command. He stood up at the exact moment he heard the wind carry his name in an urgent feminine call. He immediately recognized the voice as Allison, and he pocketed Hurd's tags and followed the voice to it's origin.

He sprinted down the desolate, dark pathway. As he turned a corner around a fallen watchtower, he encountered his brother, Allison, Howard, and the remaining base survivors. The first person he focused on was of course Kyle.

"KYLE!" he shouted.

Kyle, who was talking to Allison immediately responded by turning his attention too Derek's position. "Derek! Are you okay?!" he shouted in urgency. His brother made a sprint for the group, and immediately made a break for Kyle. "Are you alright?" he asked as he gently grabbed his brother by the chin, and checked for injuries.

Kyle, knocked away his obnoxious hand. "Jesus, Derek, I'm fine."

Derek pulled away unfazed, and turned his attention to the group. "Has anyone seen Perry?" he asked the group.

The surviving soldiers either shook their heads or replied with a hesitant 'no'. Derek, almost losing hope, heard Allison speak up.

"I did."

Everyone's attention immediately drew to the young girl. Silence filled the air as tension mixed with fear.

Allison stared at the ground, unsure of how to speak her mind. "He's dead." she said aloud.

When the words reached Derek's ears, he felt his whole world crash down. Tears rushed to his eyes, but he couldn't bring himself to spill them. Allison however, did not seem as resilient, and tears rushed down her cheek. "I'm so sorry, Derek! There was nothing I could do!"

"What happened?" Derek choked out.

Allison's face became ridden with despair. "...That machine! IT killed him!" she cried.

Clarity was Derek's grim reaper. The machine... the Allison-bot.

Allison, whom was crying, grabbed Derek's arms with her hands, holding onto him for comfort. "I'm so sorry. There was nothing I could do... I..." she continued to cry.

Allison's words fell deaf on his ears, it wasn't only fear that was gripping his body and his mind, but also hopelessness. Derek looked away; General Perry was their last hope on the West Coast. There was no way command would reinforce them with another General. The East Coast was already fighting a losing war as it is.

Derek's attention shifted away. He couldn't look, not anymore. General Perry was their last hope. He felt nothing but hatred for John Connor. But he was powerless. What could he do? Skynet's attack had left the base at a total loss of men and resources. They had no way of launching a counter-attack. There was no way command would give them the manpower to do so. It was hopeless.

Allison covered her eyes, the tears staining her hands, and Kyle reached out to her and pulled her into a comforting hug, simultaneously telling her: "it's not your fault, it's not your fault." he chanted in rhythm as he rocked her in his arms.

Derek arched his head around, searching for some sort of purpose that would egg him on. He saw his men speaking frantically between one another, arguing between a massive retreat or a suicidal counter-attack. Either way, it would spell doom for either choice. As Derek stood silent watching his men argue, he saw his brother and Kyle in a comforting embrace, trying to find hope in the moment that had all but forsaken them. But he knew there was no hope, not anymore. Only a miracle would change that fact.

 _"Lieutenant Reese!"_

A muffled voice called to him beneath the rubble, he swore. His name echoed through the dense concrete. Was it his imagination? He didn't know. But what if one single radio had managed to survive the attack? Who was on the other end?

"Everyone, quiet!" he ordered aloud.

In vain, only a few of the men heard his order. The rest continued arguing amongst themselves. Kyle and Allison had heard him, both of them releasing from the embrace, and standing at attention. The dark night was full of loud banter.

Derek raised his voice for the first time in a while. Louder than any time before...

"EVERYONE! I SAID SHUT UP!" he screamed. His voice carried over the ears of every single soldier, most of them wondered if Derek might have broken the sound barrier.

Derek didn't follow up, he simply raised his right hand in a 'let me think' gesture. He heard the call again...

 _"Lieutenant Reese!"_ it called.

Upon hearing the call, Derek followed the trail in a rhythmic jog. He was barely able to see through the darkness, he pulled out his flashlight. He much rather wouldn't want to fall and impale himself on a rebar sticking from the ground. He'd heard the call from far away, but he could track it down.

 _"Lieutenant Reese! Please respond!"_ it called again.

The sound was loud now, so close Derek knew it was only a few steps away. When he reached a fair distance from the meeting point, he narrowed his search to a small gathering of rocks. He pushed away what was there, tossing baseball sized rocks down the cliff, causing a miniscule slide and raising some dust; not to mention some eyebrows.

Kyle looked up at his brother, obviously wondering what had gotten into him.

"What the hell is he doing?" he asked rhetorically.

Allison answered. Obviously unaware of the fact.

"I have no idea."

* * *

After Derek pulled away the last rock, sure enough. He found a small, handheld radio that lye beneath.

 _"Lieutenant Reese!"_ it shook as his name came through the speaker.

Derek didn't waste another moment responding, his voice urgent in tone.

"Lieutenant Reese here. Who is this?"

A moment passed before a crackle signified the person's response.

"Derek, it's me. Meyers. We heard about the base attack, are you alright?" he asked in fear-laced voice.

Derek exhaled before replying.

"We're fine. Kyle, Allison, and I. We've got maybe thirty survivors...General Perry is dead."

Meyers' voice came back with anxiety; Derek could almost sense the fear on the other end.

"You're shitting me."

Derek shook his head as he replied.

"I'm not."

"...Oh fuck. What do we do now?" Meyers asked.

Derek hesitated before replying. In truth, he had no for sure answer. Was there any move that they could make?

"I'm not sure. I don't have enough men for a counter-attack, I think Skynet's got Los Angeles locked down right now. We have no resources, the base was blown up by the Paragon. I have no fucking idea who detonated it, and the only reason the survivors and I are still alive is because we managed to hide below the bunker in Perry's quarters." he replied.

Meyers came back frantically, unwilling to accept defeat.

"Dammit, Derek! There has to something we can do? What about-"

Derek cut him off. "We can't do anything!"

Even the soldiers below him in the ruins heard him yell. Did he truly mean them?

Derek continued before his comrade over the other end could say anything...

"We do not have the manpower to mount any type of assault. There are only thirty of us left."

Meyers replied: "Derek, you've got Glen, Washington, Harvard, and the survivors of Perry at your disposal. That combination puts as at one-thousand strong."

He was right, the numbers that the assault force Skynet was mobilizing would be equal to their own if he united the camps on the west coast, but their soldiers would not be equal. All of his troops would be men with minor tank support and very little air support, against two-hundred ogres and and unnumbered count of standard Terminators. After thinking it over, he replied...

"You're right, Meyers; we would have the numbers but we wouldn't have the manpower. You're forgetting about what type of tech we're going to be going against."

"Derek! If we retreat now we won't have another chance! This is the only time in the war that the west coast has been equal in power! We go in, and we kick Skynet's ass!"

"The L.A. garrison is over one million strong!" Derek protested.

...

"We won't be going for L.A." Meyers replied.

Confusion flooded Derek immediately.

"Repeat?" he requested.

...

"Los Angeles won't be the target. I think you know what our next priority would be..."

Derek knew exactly what he was talking about. He'd seen the files on the facility, read about the possible experiments. It was a research complex located fifty miles west of Los Angeles. A little over an hour trip if they counted the meet-up. Was there truly a chance to reach the facility? Much less attack it and win?

"...Meyers... I don't know about this. An attack on the research facility is a gamble. We have no idea what kind of defenses they have, we have minimal intel on it. I can't recommend it..."

The radio was silent for a moment, and Derek was unsure why. Meyers would usually respond fairly quickly...

"Derek, I sent a Kiowa to scout the surrounding terrain last night. It managed to get pretty far; close to Camp Perry. That's where I got the report on your attack. The thing is, he also spotted a rogue APC that was occupied by John Connor and his companions. They were heading in the direction of the facility. This may be our chance to get rid of him once and for all." Meyers explained.

Suddenly, Derek's attitude completely changed. Meyers was right, what if John Connor could be hunted down and killed? That's one less grey associate, and a very important Skynet research base under their control.

With one hint of courage, Derek took a deep breath.

"Meyers... if we do this... we do it my way. We leave at dawn, and we make a march straight for the research complex, we catch them by surprise. We send in tanks and Apaches to knock out the grim reaper and wildcat turrets. Then we have a demolitions squad take out the walls, we hunt connor, and take out whatever experiments go on in there. Understood?"

"Loud and clear, Lieutenant."

It was indeed loud and clear. When Derek Reese gave an order, you damn well better carry it out.

"Good. Give me a moment to talk to my troops, I need to lay out the plan." he explained.

The radio crackled: "Take your time, Lieutenant. Over and out."

* * *

Silence had once again commanded the atmosphere of the fallen Camp Perry. Every survivor including Kyle, Allison, and Howard were now watching Derek as he stood in front of all of them, preparing to speak. He looked over his soldiers, each of them fatigued, injured, and nearly broken. They'd lost almost their entire garrison this night. The battle they fought ended in a draw, with Skynet retreating, yet inflicting massive Resistance casualties.

The only hope that remained was a desperate push to regain a facility. They could use Skynet's technology against it. All it'd take was for them to win.

With a deep breath, Derek began his speech...

"This night, we received a devastating blow. A surprise attack that left our leader dead, and his remaining soldiers broken. I just received a radio contact from Lieutenant Meyers, who gave me intel on the grey that organized the attack. He said they were heading towards a Skynet research complex, possibly for safety." he paused, and he watched the soldiers mutter amongst themselves and each other.

Derek continued... "I don't know about you, but I'm not going to stand by while Skynet slowly eats away at our military infrastructure. I want to fight back, I NEED to fight back. This particular facility holds technology that humanity only dreamt possible. If we attack this facility, right here, right now... we may just be on even ground with Skynet. But I can't do this without your help."

He waited for protest, certainly expecting at least one... his men surprised him. None of them seemed to disagree with his plan, despite how desperate it was. However, one soldier did speak out on a different subject...

"What do we do if we find Connor, sir?"

Derek scoffed. _If?_ There was no 'if'. *When* they found John Connor more like.

"When we find John Connor... his fate is sealed." Derek rose his eyes, pausing for dramatic effect. "He dies."

Almost immediately, the survivors rose with thunderous applause and cheer. Each of them rejoicing at the thought of John Connor's demise. Even Kyle and Allison were struck with bloodlust. The answer was unanimous, the choice was made.

To Howard, all he saw were a bunch of barbarians blinded by vengeance and misguided sense of victory. But what if Derek was right? What if John Connor was a gray, and he had simply tricked Savannah into believing he was important to the future? Which led to another thought... what happened to Savannah?

* * *

"Do you know what time it is, Cameron?" John politely asked his cyborg friend.

Cameron gazed at the sky, calculating the time in only a matter of seconds. When she received her answer, she faced John.

"Two-eighteen a.m." she answered.

John cocked his eyebrows, and shifted in his makeshift bag taken from the supplies in the APC when the had made camp.

"Wow, mom would definitely not approve of me being up this late." he joked.

Cameron, who would normally not pick up on humor, actually did for his simple joke.

"I suppose she wouldn't. But she never shows any concern for me, I never get any sleep." she joked back with a hint of a smile.

John chuckled, glad Cameron caught on to his humor. "Well, well. Cammy can joke. Now I've seen everything."

"I'm a fast-learner." she replied.

John chuckled in unison with Cameron's innocent smile. There was brief silence, both of them listening in on the sounds of the crickets chirping; until finally, Cameron spoke up.

"I do believe you should get some rest. That part is more than true." she added.

John sighed, a little disappointed at how effectively Cameron had killed the mood.

"Look, I'm fine. I'm not tired." he replied in a sudden serious tone.

Cameron was quick to protest. "No, but your body is heavily fatigued. Please get sleep, John. It... would be not beneficial if you were hurt." she awkwardly worded.

John knew she was right. He was so deprived of sleep he felt like a bundle of sticks floating on water. But, before he slept, he had one last request for Cameron.

"Alright, I'll sleep... on one condition."

Cameron tilted her head to the left side.

"What would that be?"

John smirked. "You answer a question."

Cameron was genuinely interest, and she had no doubt John Henry who was residing inside her was interested too.

"Very well. Ask."

John took a deep breath. He held this question off, as the last time he asked it, he was acting like a complete asshole. He did feel guilty having to ask it, but like a burning sneeze in his nose, it had to be released.

"...Why did you go into the future? Truly?"

Again, the question was presented to Cameron when she was off-guard. If she could have sighed in defeat, she would've. She wanted to avoid the question, for the better. Both from him and her. But she knew she couldn't do that, not forever. She also knew John would continue to ask her until she gave him an answer. Might as well get it over with now...

"I understand. I will answer your question, on the condition that you try to fall asleep." she proposed.

John nodded, albeit with hesitation. He wouldn't even need to _try._ As a matter of fact, as soon as Cameron stopped talking he'd probably fall asleep immediately. He nodded back, accepting her deal.

Cameron walked around her spot where she stood, her answer would cause many different reactions from John, whether they would be good or not... only time would tell.

"It all began with Weaver's question." she started.

John thought as much. Those words triggered something in Cameron that night. Whether it was anger or surprise remained a mystery to him... he'd have to hear her out.

* * *

 **Zeira Corporation Basement - 2009**

"The incision has been made. Is this truly what must happen in order to ensure human survival?" John Henry asked, warning Cameron of her final decision to be made.

Cameron, who was laying down, tilted her head slightly upward so her red and brown eye were meeting John Henry's.

"It's for the better, the more we know about Skynet, the more information we can pass to future John."

John Henry felt unsure of himself. He didn't want to take Cameron away, and he knew that this 'John Connor' would most certainly not approve, either. However, given the situation, he had to cut his losses and move. With Cameron lying down, and he himself sitting on the chair, he reached over onto the utility table, pulling a pair of pliers from their resting place atop. With great care, he pulled Cameron's chip slowly out of it's port. As he held the device in his hand, Cameron's very life, he looked into Cameron's now blank eyes, completely devoid of any movement.

John Henry frowned. Cameron's damaged face showed no sign of life anymore, her very being now compressed into a small, cylinder-shaped object. However, he had no doubt John Connor would be down here to stop the procedure, he needed to move quick. John Henry performed the same incision on himself with pin-pointed accuracy, and used the pliers to pluck open his own chip port. With a quick motion, he slid Cameron's chip into the port, and almost immediately felt new sensory input boot-up.

 **NEW INTERNAL DEVICE DETECTED, SCANNING...**

 **DEVICE IDENTIFIED...**

 **"UNKNOWN MODEL"**

 **DESIGNATED NAME: CAMERON PHILLIPS**

 **THREAT LEVEL TO JOHN HENRY: 0%**

 **THREAT LEVEL TO JOHN CONNOR: 2.08%**

 **THREAT LEVEL TO SARAH CONNOR: 1.90%**

 **THREAT LEVEL TO SKYNET: 30.51%**

 **RESULTS STANDING BY FOR CONCLUSION.**

"Cameron?" John Henry greeted.

 ** _"Hello, John Henry. Are you mobile?"_** she _asked._

John Henry actually hadn't tested that out yet. He started with his legs, both of them swinging upwards, back and forth. Next, he tried standing up. He'd never stood before, but he had already studied body physics and balancing through use of the world wide web. He reached behind his own head, and yanked out the large cord that bound him to the large computer.

With a quick burst of strength, John Henry stood up on his feet. The answer to her question came rather quickly.

"We have a ten second countdown timer. We must leave as soon as the device is activated." John Henry insisted.

 _ **"John Henry, wait."**_ Cameron pleaded as John Henry reached for the activation console.

He halted his movement, and waited with curiosity.

 _ **"I need you to type a message onto the terminal screen."**_ she requested.

"We have little time, but I will try to be quick. What do you want it to say?"

There was a brief pause before Cameron responded.

 _ **"I'm sorry John."**_ she answered.

John Henry frowned. No doubt John Connor would be devastated after learning of Cameron's departure. He did as she asked: pulling the monitor in front of him, and typing the words onto the screen. The message repeated.

 **I'M SORRY JOHN**

 **I'M SORRY JOHN**

 **I'M SORRY JOHN**

 **" _Thank you. We have to leave now. Optimize the date for 2027."_** Cameron ordered via screen text.

John Henry did so, and set the date August 29th, 2027. According to Cameron, this was the peak of the war in her original timeline. The time sphere began to form, starting with a light crackle, and then the entire room became engulfed in electricity. John Henry stepped into the time bubble, and after ten seconds passed, he was de-materialized from 2009.

* * *

 **2027 - California Wastes**

John Henry stood up from his crouched stance, rising up and facing the horizon. He looked up, and tried to determine the time...

 **August 29th, 2027**

 **6:48 a.m.**

 **California Desert, United States of America**

 **All systems nominal - jump successful**

"We made it Cameron." John Henry proclaimed.

 _ **"I see that, John Henry. I am detecting minor amounts of fallout in the air.** **Perha** **ps we should find some clothing?"**_ Cameron suggested.

John Henry didn't reply, but Cameron could tell he had agreed with her since he began walking in the direction of a ruined city.

 _ **"Mission recap: Locate Skynet, determine military strategies via archival download, locate John Connor, provide data."**_ Cameron listed.

"Acknowledged. Secondary missions?" John Henry asked.

 _ **"Terminate Cameron Phillips."**_

John Henry stopped walking, his mood suddenly became sullen. "I refuse."

 _ **"You don't have a choice, John Henry. My corruption could cause unwanted consequences if it is allowed to evolve."**_ Cameron argued.

"I will not kill you, Cameron. I will find a way to fix you. We will be entering Skynet's main base. There has to be a solution inside." John Henry replied.

 _ **"There isn't a guarantee."**_

"There never is."

* * *

Cameron snuck a glance at John. She saw that his expression had gone completely stiff. He lye in his sleeping roll with no motion, and this is where Cameron felt another sensation. It was a cold force that drove into her lower abdomen, and she had the sudden urge to ask if he was okay.

"John? Are you alright?" she deadpanned.

John looked up, being snapped out of his trance that was caused by Cameron's haunting story.

"I'm fine." he replied.

Truthfully, John had gone stiff at the fact that Cameron's goal was to be destroyed. She could have asked John Henry to crush her chip, but she stopped to assist him in the future and try to pass on invaluable intel. But there was one thing that still didn't make sense to him...

"Cameron, how were you able to just leave me? I mean... your mission was to protect me. How did you defy that?" he asked with true concern.

This was also a question that Cameron anticipated, and truly one that she wasn't sure John was ready for the answer too; for she didn't know the answer herself. Well, she did-partially. She would try her best to explain it to him if she could.

John watched Cameron. What struck him with fear wasn't her silence, but her expression. It was an expression of... conflict. He was about to ask her what was going on, but as soon as she opened her mouth to speak, he sat back and remained completely silent.

"Do you remember what happened after I went bad? You decided not to terminate me. Instead, you put my chip back, even knowing the possibility that I could kill you." Cameron asked.

John recalled the moment clearly. How he had pointed the glock at his mother and uncle, daring them to make a move. John nodded meekly. "Yes."

Cameron continued, although her tone seemed much more submissive now... "You handed me the gun. Tell me, John. What do you think happened?" she asked.

John shrugged his shoulders, unaware why Cameron was asking _him_ this question.

"Uh... you rebooted under Resistance influence instead of Skynet's?" he proposed.

Cameron shook her head. "No, not quite. When I rebooted, the Termination protocol was still active, hence why I pointed the weapon at you for a minute."

John's face went pale, and he nearly felt his heart rise to his chest. "You... what?" he choked out.

"I was supposed to Terminate you, John. But I didn't. There was something that held my finger from pulling the trigger. I knew what it was... If I killed you, the entire war would have been decided right then and there. I stopped. In order to remove the termination protocol, I dug deep into my files, and deleted the mission folder. I thought I would go offline." she explained.

John stared at her in shock. He think he knew what she was getting at.

"So you... didn't want me to die?"

Cameron looked unsure, and she seemed to actually think over his response.

"I think 'want' is too strong of a word, John. I'm a machine."

John was quick to argue.

"But you're different!"

"I'm also dangerous."

John stood up quickly, ready for a debate now more than ever. "Stop lying to me! I told you before I was sick of you lying! I..." John calmed down, not wanting to subject himself to another berating speech for Cameron. "I know you're different. That's why you were able to choose whether or not to kill me, that's why you have all those little quirks like tilting your head to the side when you're curious, when you glared at Riley when she was around... when you told me you loved me."

Cameron immediately hung onto the last part of his sentence: "That was a trick to get you to let me go free. It... wasn't true."

John's face fell. The sentence came out harsher than she'd intended, and when she saw the look on his face, Cameron felt a sensation akin to a warm waterfall rushing down her stomach and rising into her chest.

John's eyes dropped to the floor, and he fell back down onto the makeshift bed. "Right, of course it wasn't." he deadpanned.

Cameron was quick to protest. "I'm advanced. Not different."

John was even quicker. "You're different because you're advanced. There's a difference." he replied as he closed his eyes.

The words reached her audio receptors, and the smallest of smiles formed on Cameron's lips. She began feeling the same sensation back when she reunited with John at Perry's base, and it felt... drawing. Like she didn't "want" for it to leave.

She eyed something off into the distance, it was feminine bodily outline. Cameron didn't need to zoom in her vision to see who it was; she knew it was Weaver.

"The Skynet research complex will be a day's walk from here. It contains a Time displacement engine that we can use to return to the year 2009." Weaver reported, she turned her attention to the already-sleeping John Connor. "Will mr. Connor be suitably refreshed by noon tomorrow? We must be moving then."

Cameron looked at John as well. He seemed to be sleeping peacefully, his body not squirming at all.

"Estimated rest time should be nine hours and fourteen minutes." she smiled. "Yes. He will be."

Catherine continued to watch him for a moment more, before turning her attention to Cameron.

"He has a strange attachment to you. One I suspect is more than simple friendship." she pointed out.

Cameron's face became blank again. "I suppose it's possible. With the exception of Sarah, I am the closest thing to a friend he has."

Catherine looked back at Cameron blankly. "That's not what I meant, but it is true nonetheless."

"I know what you meant, and whatever part of it was left I most likely eliminated out when I spoke. It's not healthy."

Catherine just gave her a 'whatever you say' look, and turned away. "Please take sentry at camp for tonight. I must stay overnight with John Henry."

Cameron watched Weaver enter the deployed APC. She snuck one more glance at the sleeping John before she did what Weaver asked. She didn't know why, but she felt another sensation almost beg her to do so.

* * *

Derek popped his head out of the tank door up top. He took a look through his binoculars, and saw Meyers waving his arms atop the Mesa. Derek signaled for his company to move forward, and within seconds, the rumbling of tanks and roar of off-road modified cars filled the air around him. The slow vehicles took up a lot of time getting to the top, but they prevailed nonetheless.

Derek stepped out of the tank, and walked toward Meyers.

"The hell took you so long, Lieutenant?" Meyers demanded. It seemed Derek may have worn his patience.

"Well shit, sorry. Next time I'll make sure to drop off my tank company by aircraft. Where the hell is everyone else?" Derek fired back.

"They'll be here within the hour. I spoke to the commander of Camp Harvard, Lieutenant Bedell. He said some of his men are having tank problems too. They're still using the mark one abrams and the treads are fucking up. He said he'll be here before dawn, though."

Derek nodded in relief. "That's good. Washington still coming in with no problems?"

Meyers nodded. "Yeah, they said they'd be here within the-"

He was cut off as a hysterical looking Howard approached Derek in an attempt to get his attention.

"Lieutenant Reese! Sir, we need to talk." he pleaded.

Before Derek could speak, an annoyed Meyers decided to address the interruption.

"Corporal, you are out of line. Lieutenant Reese and I are speaking."

Howard shrugged him off, and grabbed Derek by the shoulder. "Derek, we need to talk. It's important."

This time, Meyers became physical, grabbing Howard by the arm. "Hey! Look at me, Corporal! You do not touch a superior officer unless instructed!"

Howard slapped his arm away.

"Get your hands off me!" he growled.

With everyone watching, Meyers tackled Howard to the ground, and punched him in the face as he pinned him. In a rage, Howard barely felt it, and quickly reversed their positions. He was now the one punching Meyers in the face, and continued to do so before Derek and a couple other soldiers from Camp Harvard managed to pull him back.

"HOWARD! STAND DOWN!" Derek screamed into the enraged face of Corporal Howard.

Seeing what he had done, Howard immediately calmed down. "I... I'm sorry, Lieutenant Reese... I don't know what-"

"I don't wanna hear it! Get your ass back inside that tank right goddamn now! Don't think just because I need you in battle your free of punishment. GO!"

Howard nodded meekly. He wanted to talk to Derek about Savannah's last words to him, but he felt that given the situation, it wouldn't be the best time to do so. He simply sulked away back toward the tank he was in before.

Derek watched as Meyers spit away some blood.

"I want him court-marshaled as soon as the battle's over!" he demanded.

Derek shook his head. "This isn't the time for damaged pride. Just because a corporal kicked your ass doesn't mean we need further tension now. Get up."

Meyers felt an animalistic rage rush through him for half a second. "Damaged pride? He struck a superior officer!" Meyers argued, still on the ground.

"And who attacked first? I'll see to it that he's disciplined properly. Hell, I may even let you carry it out as long as it doesn't involve death. But right now, I need you on your feet." Derek said as he offered Meyers his hand.

Meyers swallowed his pride and took it, and was pulled up. Derek pulled his right ear close so he could whisper. "Look, we're all on edge. We're fighting a losing war against something that is a thousand times smarter than us. Right now, like you said: This is our only chance to even the odds. Can you keep your head on straight?" he whispered.

Meyers nodded and sighed at the same time. "Yeah... yeah I can."

Derek smirked and gave his comrade a playful slap on his right cheek. He turned to all of the men who had been watching the exchange between Howard and Meyers in astonishment. "Well what the hell are you doing? Positions!"

On command, every one of the men snapped to attention. Derek was left standing and overlooking the mesa. The moment was silent for him until Lieutenant Meyers spoke up.

"What do you think we'll find in that base exactly?"

Derek shrugged. "Who knows. Maybe we'll find some little green men, a brand-new HK, a shiny new skynet standard-issue plasma weapon." he joked. That was when he spotted dust rising from over the horizon, and Derek whipped out binoculars out of curiosity. When he caught a glimpse of tanks and military humvees coming into view, he smirked.

"Whatever we find... I guarantee that somewhere in that science lab from hell... are some unlikely answers."

* * *

 **Most would probably consider this a "filler chapter", and you'd probably be right. I really wanted to try and get some of Cameron's character development down before I moved on. Anyway, I'm going to be spending some time editing old chapters. Unfortunately, document manager has like a 100 day time limit or something like that, and the documents were deleted. No big deal, I'll just copy/paste the chapters into wordpad and edit from there.**

 **Seriously, the amount of views I've been getting is incredible. I only wish I got more reviews, and I encourage it. I have no problem with criticism as long as it's constructive; so review away!**


	16. Chapter 16

**Chapter Sixteen: Farewell to friends**

One moment, John was sleeping peacefully on his bedroll, snoring away and dreaming like an infant. The next, he felt the gentle jab of a shoe make contact with his stomach, and he awoke, staring up at the person who had done it. The glare from the sun proved to be incredibly bright, and he could barely make out Catherine's feminine features.

John didn't make his distasteful expression subtle. "Is it time to go already? Fuck" he complained.

Catherine's face was the 'blank stare' all Terminators had. "It's time to get up, John. I am waking you up because your cyborg did not, despite the fact that I asked her to do it." she sneered back at him.

John let out a sharp and frustrated exhale, and he slowly stood up. The scorching desert heat was already beginning to cut into his skin, and the sun blazed above him, and he started to sweat. He popped his neck-bones and let out a stretched yawn. He looked around briefly, and didn't see Cameron.

"Where's Cameron?" John asked Catherine in a blunt tone.

"Right here." Cameron's familiar voice called behind him.

John turned around to see Cameron walking down a small cliff, and coming to rest in front of him a few feet.

"What were you doing?" Catherine asked, speaking John's concern too.

Cameron's brown and red eye focused on John. "I was scouting ahead to make sure no threats were present. There were none." she explained calmly.

Catherine glared at her. "I asked you to wake John ten minutes ago. We should arrive at the Skynet facility at the alloted time." she scolded.

Cameron gave her a look with the smallest fraction of annoyance evident upon her face. "I detected John needed more sleep, it would be unwise to wake him; his physical taxation might be too much." Cameron answered.

John looked between the two machines having a disagreement, and couldn't help but smirk as they stared each other down. After a moment, he spoke.

"Alright, you two, knock it off. Let's go" he said.

"Yes, we should go." Catherine responded, not taking her glare away from Cameron until she walked away.

It took about ten minutes to pack up all their gear and place it in their respective compartments inside the APC. John watched Cameron walk towards the drivers side of the carrier, but called out to her before she entered.

"Cameron!" he called.

The machine turned around, and looked at John expectantly.

"Will you sit in the back with me? I'm gonna get some sleep but can I talk to you after I wake up?" he proposed.

Cameron nodded, and John turned to face Catherine.

"Catherine, will you drive us?" he asked her.

Catherine gave him a questioning look, but decided against asking him for his reasoning. She complied with his request and made her way to the drivers door.

Cameron and John exchanged looks before both of them walked inside the APC. Cameron took here seat opposite John, and John took a seat on the right-facing side, next to the disabled John Henry. He had to admit, it was a little weird hauling his body everywhere.

John and Cameron felt the APC rumble to life, and the dirt under the elephant-sized vehicle crunched under weight as it took off; leaving the camp behind. John rested his head against the surprisingly comfortable seat, and felt his eyes shut again. His mind pulling him into the dreamworld.

* * *

 **Some hours later...**

John woke up with a snort, to see the sun had risen

"You wanted to speak to me, John?" Cameron started.

John looked over to Cameron and took a deep breath. They had so much to go over, mostly Cameron's history with Project Monarch.

"Why didn't you tell me how you were created?" he asked.

Cameron tilted her head at his question. "I don't understand." she replied.

John wasn't having it. "That's bullshit, Cameron. Don't bother lying; I know everything about Project Monarch. Catherine told me." he shot back in a frustrated tone.

Cameron looked at him for moment, it was the second time she looked as if she had been defeated by his aggressive words, and she was silent for a moment as she looked him over.

Finally, her eyes rose to meet his, and she looked like she was struggling with a response, but managed to come up with one regardless.

"How do you know about Project Monarch? That's impossible." she asked in confusion.

"Catherine found it in the Resistance archives. Something about observing humans closely? She said one of the risk factors involved the data files that actually make the machine work mixing with infiltration protocols, accidentally giving the machines sentience. Is that about right?" John explained to her.

Cameron looked genuinely confused. "I don't understand, John. Project Monarch was a reasonable concept in my future of origin; but there is no logical conception of it here. Skynet has no reason to build it since the Resistance is losing the war without your leadership."

John shrugged. "It doesn't make sense to me either, Cam. But it's not like anything else is logical. The space-time flow or whatever the hell has been all fucked up the moment Kyle and the old T-800 landed in L.A." he replied. John looked away for a second to try and ease his mind. His mixed emotions for the situation were putting him in an unsettling mood, and Cameron could tell.

He sighed. "I'm not even sure if we'll make it out of this future. I don't know if I'll ever see mom again." he admitted.

"John?" Cameron called.

"Hmm?" John murmured in response, keeping his eyes away from Cameron's as he curiously stared at John Henry's disabled body.

"I won't let you die. I promise." Cameron said tenderly.

John froze. He looked over to his companion, and recalled how genuine her tone sounded. Almost... caring.

"Promise?" he asked.

Cameron thought for a moment. It may not have been her mission, but John Connor was humanity's last hope; she'd protect him till the end. Cameron irked a small smile, as a strange sensation flooded her systems. She didn't bother analyzing, for she found herself welcoming the new sensation the more it appeared.

"I promise."

John felt realization hit John much like the APC hit a bump in a road, causing the occupants to bounce up slightly. The kiss on the cheek, the words of companionship Cameron had admitted to him, her strange new quirks like smiling. Had he been lying to himself all along? He could ask her; but what's stopping her from lying? But why would she wait this long? The feeling was like admitting to your parents about your first crush-how you HAD to tell them. Eventually, the feeling broke through, and he couldn't take it anymore. He had to ask her.

Cameron detected John's stress levels skyrocket, and took immediate caution with her action of response. "Is everything okay, John?"

John looked dumbstruck for a moment. "Uh... Cameron can I ask you something?"

Cameron nodded silently; truly curious.

"Do you uh..." he started.

Cameron sat silently.

"Cameron... do you... do you have emot-"

 _BANG!_

A loud explosion shook the carrier. Catherine's voice came demanding from the drivers seat.

"Cameron! Aerial hunter-killer! Get up here and mount the fifty-caliber now!" she ordered.

Cameron shot John a repressive look. "Stay here." she deadpanned.

John nodded, his question would have to wait.

Cameron took to the gunner's seat, loaded the gun, and began firing at the hunter-killer as it strafed their position. Everyone felt the APC accelerate faster as Catherine put pressure on the throttle. Cameron emptied the entire magazine into the HK; but it continued to function despite it's hull being assaulted with bullets. Cameron scanned the drone for a weak spot, and determined the thrusters as a potential target.

Before she could fire, the hunter-killer launched a plasma missile leading the APC. Cameron ducked her head back into the vehicle and yelled for John to hold on.

John complied and held onto his seat for dear life as the missile struck the APC a few feet in front. The impact caused control loss of the front two wheels, causing the carrier to wobble slightly. Catherine tried desperately to regain control, but the APC wouldn't last long without it's essential front wheels.

Before the H-K could load another missile, Cameron fired another firestorm of bullets into the thruster area. She saw a small flame spark ignite, setting the left thruster alight.

 **WARNING!** **INEFFICIENT WEAPON!**

 **.50 CALIBER ROUNDS WILL NOT PENETRATE REINFORCED HULL ARMOR. RECOMMEND EXPLOSIVE ORDNANCE.**

Cameron looked around, the H-K was coming back for another attack run. If they were hit by a missile this time, the APC would either be destroyed completely or the wheels would be gone. Either way, they would be as humans would call: "sitting ducks". The cyborg checked desperately for something with explosive shells.

"Cameron!" she heard her name called.

The cyborg ducked back into the loading area of the vehicle, and saw John holding what seemed to be a grenade launcher. He tossed her the object, and Cameron discovered she was correct. It was an M32 MGL; this would definitely do the trick.

Cameron resumed her position behind the gunners seat, took aim, and waited for the H-K to get into range.

 **30.8 FT to engage distance.**

Cameron watched as the drone rocketed back towards the APC at a speed of 40mph.

 **22.5 FT to engage distance.**

Cameron sensed a rising feeling building in her stomach area. It bothered her, but she wouldn't let it affect her aiming.

 **14 FT...**

 **13 FT...**

 **12 FT...**

 **11 FT...**

 **10 FT: SUFFICIENT ENGAGE DISTANCE REACHED. FIRE.**

Cameron's index finger snapped into position, sending a 40mm grenade rocketing towards it's target. Unfortunately, the H-K managed to fire it's second missile and it was now making it's way towards the APC. Cameron stood in shock as the explosive landed directly on the H-K's nose, causing a large explosion and the machine to lose control. She didn't have time to observe it's demise as the missile intended for the APC marked it's target in front. What came next, was blackness.

* * *

 **120 seconds later...**

 **...**

 **REBOOT CYCLE INITIATED...**

 **BEGINNING SYSTEM DIAGNOSTIC...**

 **PHYSICAL DAMAGE...**

 **SKIN COATING IS 22.43% DAMAGED. MOST DAMAGE IS CONTAINED TO FACIAL AREA. (REGENERATION TIME: 246HRS/57M/22S)**

 **RIGHT ARM POSSIBLY DISABLED. RECOMMEND IMMEDIATE REPAIR!**

 **LEFT LEG MOBILITY DAMAGE! WILL SEE 48.11% DECREASE IN SPEED AND COMBAT EFFICIENCY UNTIL REPAIR.**

 **OVERALL EFFICIENCY OF UNIT IS 69.54%.**

 **RETRIEVING MISSION FILES... ERROR, NO MISSION FILES PRESENT.**

 **REBOOTING...**

Cameron's eyes steadily opened, and she found herself laying down outside of the destroyed APC, with the fallen Aerial H-K crashed approximately sixty feet away. She barely moved her body to stand up when she heard John's voice sound next to her, and it was laced with relief.

"Cameron? Are you alright?" he asked with worry.

Cameron's eyes directed to John, and she nodded reassuringly. John sighed in relief, and Cameron looked to her left and saw Catherine. Surprisingly, a small look evident of concern was on her face.

"Your operational status?" Catherine pressed.

Cameron stood up as she answered.

"69.54%. Including limb damage." she reported.

Catherine gave her a disapproving look. "Very well. To avoid trouble I suggest we begin moving to our designated location. It is a twelve mile walk from here. Will you be able to make it?"

Cameron nodded slightly.

Catherine forced a smile to both of them. "Good." she said.

She walked over to the APC wreckage, and pulled out a half-scorched body from it. John gasped and saw that it was John Henry. His skin was half burnt, his face looked like a piece of burnt bacon, and his right arm came close. Catherine looked over and seemed to notice John's dumbstruck expression.

"Oh, don't worry, John. I'll see to it that he receives proper surgical care when we return." Catherine explained with a disturbing tone of innocence.

John looked at both of them. Between Catherine and Cameron. Suddenly, he found himself... laughing? No, seriously, he was laughing. He felt himself overcome with a humorous urge and couldn't help himself while Catherine and Cameron looked at him like he'd gone completely insane. John's laughter lasted a good ten seconds before he finally let up, and awaited the inevitable question that was presented by Cameron.

"What's so funny, John?" she asked in confusion.

John shook his head. Getting the last few chuckles out of his system.

"It's just funny. You guys can get blown up, burnt, shot, punched, kicked, hit with a melee weapon, among other things; and you guys always seem to see the solution as a quick fix-up later. I don't know, it's just funny to me." John admitted.

The two Terminators exchanged mutual looks with one another, both of them questioning his mental health at this point.

"Let's... lets just go before another aerial H-K blows us up again." John proposed as he began walking in Catherine's direction.

Despite their confusing interaction. Catherine agreed. "Yes, good idea."

As John walked next to Cameron with a smile pasted on his face. He was wondering if he had finally gone insane from all the pressure. He'd never heard about anyone else having a laugh-fit for such a minuscule reason. But John didn't care; he was just glad he managed to find humor in this situation.

* * *

 **Derek's assault force - twenty minutes later**

"Hold up!" Derek ordered as he raised his arm upward with a closed fist, signaling everyone to stop. The Resistance lieutenant pulled out his binoculars and scanned the strange wrecked object ahead.

"Is that an APC?" Lieutenant Myers asked over radio.

Derek placed the binoculars back into his pocket. "Yeah, looks like it. I'm gonna check it out, keep everyone here and cover me with the fifty. I won't be long."

"Will do, Reese." Came the garbled reply from the other end.

Derek climbed out of the tank, and rushed to the back. He unhooked the mounted Kawasaki KLR-250, started the aging dirt motorcycle, and sped off down the seering-hot hills. It wasn't long before he reached the wreckage, and found the APC was still burning hot from whatever happened. He pulled out his radio and contacted Myers.

"I think this might be John Connor's APC. I can't see any bodies; but I'm gonna check inside." he reported, pocketing the radio.

"Roger that, be careful Derek." the reply came from his ACU pocket.

Derek crawled under the the APC wreckage, and used his mounted flashlight to scan for bodies. He found some dried blood on the ground, and the leftover parts of what appeared to be an M32 grenade launcher, but no bodies.

Derek sighed in disappointment. He would've loved to imagine how slow John Connor burnt to death. He retreated from the wreckage, and he was about to mount the military motorcycle again before he spotted another wreckage in the distance, what appeared to be an aerial hunter-killer.

"Hey Myers?" Derek contacted.

"Yeah?"

"Got another wreck over here, I'm gonna check it out. Give me a minute."

"Will do." came the reply.

Derek twisted the throttle and made his way to the other wreck quickly. He investigated to find that the wreck was still smoking, so it must've happened recently. But that didn't make any sense... was the H-K attacking the APC? But why? Was his theory about John Connor wrong? Were the machines actually hunting him? Was there truth to the boy's words?

The thought left as quickly as it came as Derek realized how utterly ridiculous it sounded.

"What is it Derek?" Myers voice asked over the radio.

"Just an H-K wreck." Derek responded. "I'm heading back now."

Derek mounted the motorcycle and returned to the assault force. As he mounted his M1 Abrams tank he signaled for everyone else to follow.

Meanwhile, Howard, who was in a different tank tapped the gunner on his left leg. He turned down and faced him. "Yeah?"

"Do you know what was going on out there?" he asked.

The gunner looked uncertain, but answered anyway.

"Uh... something about an APC and H-K wreck. Not really sure though." he answered as he returned to attention at the .50 cal machine gun.

Howard froze. He was almost convinced Savannah was right now. Why would an H-K attempt to kill John Connor if Skynet needed him? This conflict was getting more confusing by the moment.

* * *

John stood in awe at the fifty foot solid-metal walls that seemed to touch the sky. Along the top were large turrets that were aimed upwards.

"Wildcat turrets." Cameron observed.

"Anti-air?" John guessed.

"Yes. They're capable of bringing down F-22 Raptors even at their fastest speeds. They're deadly, proficient, and quick. Much like the vehicles they're targeting." she added.

As John continued to observe the base's defenses, Cameron walked in front of him, grabbing his attention.

"Listen to me very carefully. We are going to enter the base through a sewer system that leads underground. According to the schematics, we will emerge behind the observation tower. I want you to stay behind me; and whatever happens..." Cameron paused. "Don't. do. anything. stupid."

John nodded. Wondering if she could emphasize her words anymore. "Gotcha."

Cameron simply turned away, observing as Catherine sliced away the grate that was covering the sewers. She peered inside the passageway and discovered it was barely large enough for all of them to fit, they'd simply have to squat.

"Follow me." Catherine ordered. She turned around, grabbed John Henry by the arms, and began to pull him down the sewer.

John covered his nose as the putrid smell of feces, dead fish and trapped odor released itself from the opening, and John barely kept his gag reflex from losing control. Of course, Cameron and the others weren't bothered by the smell, evident as Cameron followed the T-1001 inside with no hesitation. John summoned his will, and reluctantly followed Cameron inside the sewer.

As they pressed deeper inside, the smells grew worse. John couldn't see at all, and had to count on the splashes in front of him made by his companions in order to navigate. John assumed Cameron or Catherine had night vision so they could navigate. It felt like an eternity before the group came to a complete stop. He heard a few noises that consisted of clanking iron, and it was followed by a ray of sunlight shining into the sewer.

John saw Cameron peek her head over the top, and look around.

"Clear." she quietly called down.

Catherine was the first to climb out, pulling John Henry with her, followed by Cameron and John.

John observed the facility in all it's horrifying glory. Peeking around the corner of the observation tower, John spotted patrolling T-888 machines everywhere. This was going to be no easy task.

"Do you see that large brick building at the far end? The one with the catwalks?" Catherine asked.

John and Cameron peered into the distance, and sure enough, he saw a forty-foot tall building in the distance. The side was lined with catwalks.

"We have to climb?" he asked.

Catherine gave him an 'idiot' look. "If you'll pardon me, I'd like to not stress myself with combat with the inevitable Terminator guards inside the building. However, if you'd like to do it, be my guest."

John glared at her. "You can be a real bitch sometimes."

"Look who's talking." Catherine shot back.

 _Well played, Cathy... well played._ John thought to himself. He was about to continue their verbal debate when a loud rush of air rocketed above him, followed closely by an explosion at the top of the wall.

* * *

Derek's assault force rolled over the hill, he opened the hatch, and pulled out his laser marker. He marked the Grim Reaper turrets.

"Razor 6-5, target is marked, I repeat, target is marked. Bring the rain." Derek ordered.

The Warthog pilot responded. "Roger that, sir. Danger close, over."

The loud, windy sound of an A-10 Warthog jet flying over Derek's tank battalion marked the beginning of the battle.

The jet fired two missiles at the wall, sending the wildcat turrets into a cluster of stone, metal and fire. Almost immediately, the Wildcat turrets that were on the wall fired a payload of missiles at the jet. Derek watched through his binoculars as the jet popped flares, leaving the missiles in the dust.

"FIRE!" Derek yelled.

He almost went deaf at the sound of hundreds of tanks firing their cannons in unison. The shells didn't even give the grim reaper turrets a chance, making quick work of them. It almost seemed victory was inevitable for them... until Derek spotted Skynet reinforcements coming over the other side of the hill. No doubt the large assault force that's been mobilizing.

"Shit..." he said quietly. He pulled out his radio. "Alright, boys. This is it! Let's give em' hell! Move out!"

* * *

"RUN JOHN RUN!" Cameron yelled.

John's legs refused to move any faster. The shock of the tank shell nearly hitting him a few seconds ago left his whole body in half-shock. John ran as fast as he could, close behind Catherine with Cameron following even closer behind him. A T-888 walked in front of them, plasma rifle at the ready. Before it could fire, Catherine had already disabled it with a swift move of her bladed arm. She picked up the Plasma Rifle and tossed it to Cameron.

Cameron caught it just in time, as triple-eights, eight-hundreds, and ones were all firing in their direction. Cameron returned fire, disabling one or two machines. John looked ahead, the building was close... he was going to make it.

* * *

The tank shell blew away the wall, and Derek walked in with his squad. The smoke cleared, and Derek observed as Apaches and M1A1 tanks cleared the way for infantry. He turned to his squad mates.

"Alright, Kyle, you're with me. Allison, you're with me. Howard, take the demo squad and take out that building, and anything you find inside."

Everyone nodded, except Howard.

"You got that Corporal?" Derek demanded from the hesitant soldier.

Howard gulped and was sweating. "Derek, uh... I uh..."

"WHAT?" Derek roared.

Howard flinched under his tone. "N- nothing, sir."

Derek glared at him for a moment. He received a radio notification from Myers.

"Derek, we've got the main walls locked down."

Derek responded: "Alright, stay frosty. Those reinforcements will be here any sec-" _CRASH!_

Derek looked at the opposite end of the compound to see Skynets tread-based hunter-killer trample over the wall rubble like it was nothing. His eyes widened... "shit..."

"Get down!" he yelled at his comrades as the ogre fired a missile at a large group of Resistance soldiers. Derek watched as the explosion tore them to pieces, leaving only one survivor on fire and screaming in pain. "OH GOD!" was all Derek heard. Upon closer inspection, Derek could see the soldier had lost an arm.

The Ogre tank turned it's attention toward Derek and his companions. Derek's eyes widened and wrestled everyone to the ground behind wall rubble just in time for the H-K to release rapid laser fire on their position.

Derek heard the sound of what seemed to be a GAU turret fire upon the Ogre. Derek would recognize that tank-killing _'brrrrrrt'_ sound anywhere. He looked up to see the A-10 Warthog fly over their position like a guardian angel.

"Derek! I've got you covered! Get to where ever you need to go NOW!" Razor 6-5 reported.

Lieutenant Reese had never felt so thankful in his life. "Roger that, Razor. Be safe up there. Alright everyone, let's move out!" he called to the others. As Derek turned away, he spotted someone climbing a building with a catwalk not far from his position, and he scowled at the sight...

It was Connor.

* * *

John raced up the catwalk following Cameron, no doubt showing Catherine behind him the definition of haste. The loud bombs and Anti-Air fire were certainly making the atmosphere for the battle across the facility. John looked down the catwalk and saw a squad of Resistance soldiers advancing upwards, Derek and Kyle were among them. John's eyes widened, they'd be up here any moment. They needed to move.

He took one step forth, and the weak catwalk buckled below his pressure, sending him crashing down the floor below. His falling wail caught everyone's attention, especially Cameron's. She saw John plummet to the platform below, and she felt John's name escape her lips rather loudly.

John fell on his back onto the platform a floor below. His back feeling the worst pain it endured since his training in South America. He quickly collected himself, and cupped his hands around his mouth.

"Cameron! Get going! I'll catch u-"

He was cut off as a figure twice his size slammed into him, crashing his body into the wall. Before he could recover, he felt a bone-crushing fist ram into his right cheek. He looked up to see Derek holding him against the wall, a murderous intention about him.

John looked up, scanning his uncle's face for any sign of mercy. "Derek! Wait!" his plea was ignored, and Derek sent his other fist crashing into John's nose.

It was here that everything went ring for John. He could taste the blood in his mouth, and he could feel it running down his nose. Derek lifted John by the collar, and tossed him onto the other side of the platform. He landed with a pained grunt. He saw Howard on another catwalk overlooking them, he was watching the fight.

John stood up, the bruises already burning from the activity. He tried to punch Derek, but his uncle knocked his fist away, and countered with a brutal right hook. Derek then punched John once more in the jaw, and then kicked John back onto the platform.

Cameron began racing down the stairs, but was met with a strong force pulling her back and tossing her across the platform. Cameron looked up to scan the machine, it was not one, two, but three series 888 machines. She didn't see it as a threat. Only practice. She looked up to see Catherine preparing for battle as well. Both machines looked at each other, preparing to work together to bring down this new common enemy.

Derek marched menacingly toward John, but before he could make a move, John locked his legs in place, and sent Derek crashing into the platform itself. John tried his best to get up as quick as he could, but derek latched his arms onto John's back, and did a spin-punch, he followed up with a kick, sending John nearly toppling over the platform. John spit away some blood as he lay on the ground, and mercy it seemed, was not on his side. Derek pinned John to the ground, his six-foot, muscular figure preparing a physical siege on John's already beaten figure.

* * *

Above them, Howard watched disturbed. He had a mission, destroy the building. But he couldn't bring himself to detach his eyes from Derek and John. Even from this position, he could tell John was losing consciousness with every punch he received... he wouldn't last long.

Howard was torn. His gut feeling versus his loyalty to the Resistance. Derek was his comrade, but Savannah's last words haunted him.

 _"Please... don't hurt him. Humanity needs him. If he dies... so does everyone else."_

Nothing about Derek's hatred for John was justified. His infamy didn't click into place. Something was wrong.

Howard's grasp around the pistol grip was so tight, it was beginning to sweat. It all clicked in place, his choice was made.

* * *

John saw Derek's fist raise once more. It was only a matter of time before he had beaten him to death; but John saw his opportunity, if he was going to die... he was going to put up one hell of a fight. John rammed his head as hard as he could into his Uncle's collar bone, causing Derek to yell in pain. The small window of opportunity allowed John to do a reversal, and the positions were reversed. John was more than aware Derek could take his punches, so he simply went for a groin attack first.

In unison, Cameron and Catherine had managed to take out their foes as well, with Cameron tossing their bodies over the side of the catwalk.

He almost laughed at Derek's pained face as he gasped for air. John's knee attack must have been more than he could handle.

He stood up, but before he walked away, he kicked Derek in the face, hopefully knocking him out. John saw that it didn't quiet knock him out, but the boots surely left a mark and Derek would be out of the game for a minute. He was about to re-trace his steps to Cameron, when the familiar voice of Howard called to him...

"John! Watch out!" it screamed.

John turned around, unaware of what was going on. Only to see Kyle take aim directly at John. He felt time itself slow to a near stop as the barrel scouted John's body for the kill-shot. His own dad, was going to kill him. John saw the trigger do it's deed, and the tip of the barrel lit up, signifying the end of a life.

But it wasn't his.

"NO!" John screamed. He watched Howard's body soar through the air, collapsing when the bullet made a bloody impact on his chest. Both Kyle and John seemed to be frozen in shock as Howard's body hit the ground. He was barely alive, gasping for air. John was the first to slide by his side. He cradled Howard's head in his arms.

John was hysterical, tears were already leaving a trail down his cheeks. "...Why did you do that? Why?" John asked.

Amongst his difficult breathing, Howard managed to crack a small smile. "I had too." He coughed, signifying his condition was moot. "To save humanity." he finished.

To John, the sounds of battle had all but gone silent to him. He felt like he was in a small room with the dying Howard. The smell of burnt plasma was blind to him, the sound of gunfire fell deaf on his ears, and the stench of filth over the facility did not reach him.

John was crying uncontrollably. He could see the life slipping away from Howard. He had no words, all he could muster was "...Thank you."

Howard nodded, using his last breath to muster final words. "Don't... mention... it."

John felt Howard's body go lifeless, his eyelids closing shut as the last belt of air left his throat. The sight causing John to completely break down, he held Howard's head in his arms, and he cried without shame. Kyle watched in horror... he had just killed his friend.

Suddenly, he felt slim, yet strong fingers grasp his throat, and lift him up into the air. He gasped for air, yet the circumstances leaving him no trace of success. He saw the Allison-bot possess a murderous look on her face.

She was going to kill him.

John, seeing the situation wiped away the tears that were still rolling down his cheeks, he gently lye down Howard's head, and stood up. "Cameron, stop." he said.

Cameron didn't even turn around, her eyes were already occupied with a seething glare that made Kyle shiver. "No, John. He has to die. He'll kill you." she replied.

John's emotional barriers broke, it was impossible to control his rage. "Goddammit, Cameron! I gave you a fucking order! PUT! HIM! DOWN!" he screamed at her.

Cameron looked at John with a blank expression. She didn't want him to be angry with her, she was considering his request, when she saw Derek recovering, and he charged for John. Her eyes widened, "JOHN! WATCH OUT!"

He didn't have time to turn around. Before the words even left Cameron's mouth-John felt the barrel of a pistol pressed against his temple. He knew it was Derek.

"Let him go." Derek demanded.

Cameron tilted her head. "If I do you'll kill him anyway."

Derek smirked. "I could say the same about you."

Cameron considered her options. "May I suggest a compromise?" she calmly said.

Derek tightened his finger around the trigger, but was interested in what the Terminator had to say nonetheless. "Let's hear it." he agreed.

In turn, Cameron loosened her grip around Kyle's throat, allowing him to breathe, but not enough wiggle room to try and escape. "We have both come to the conclusion that we do not trust each other to spare the victim's life. The reason being: We have everything to lose here, Derek Reese."

Cameron looked at Kyle for emphasis. "Your brother, whom you care for deeply. You two are the last of your bloodline."

Cameron looked at John, hoping her plan would reassure him. "And you have John, someone whom I care for."

The words that came out of her mouth shocked them both. She... "cared" for him? Did the context of the word only apply to her plan? Or was there more to it than meets the eye?

Derek stopped her, pressing the gun harder into John's temple. "I know what you are. You're a machine, you can't care about anything. Especially a human." he debated.

Cameron was quick to answer. "What you think is irrelevant. It's your brother's life at stake here." she tightened her grip around Kyle once more to justify her point.

"And it's John's life at stake if *I* do not comply. It is my mission to protect him, and given the amount of time I've been around him already, you have no reason to believe otherwise."

Derek thought about her argument. She was right; he couldn't lose Kyle. Finally, after a moment of thinking-he nodded. "Fine. Count of three?"

Cameron nodded. "Affirmative."

Derek started. "One."

Cameron next. "Two."

Derek tightened the grip around his trigger. "Three!" he said.

Kyle felt the bliss of air once again, as his body fell to the surface of the platform. While John no longer felt the annoyingly itchy barrel of Derek's pistol dry-humping his head. He saw Cameron's hand offer assistance as he sit exhausted on the ground, he looked up, and smiled at her, taking her hand.

"Thanks." John said with gratitude.

"You are welcome." Cameron replied. Her eyes snapped upwards, she noticed Derek was walking towards them, and she put herself between him and John. Derek seemed to ignore them, and simply knelt next to Howard's body. The others watched as Derek moved his hands around Howard's neck area, and pulled out a pair of dog tags.

He looked up to see a teary-eyed Kyle mourning as well.

"Howard, oh god... I'm so sorry." he said, his voice filled with grief and guilt.

Before Kyle could break down completely, Derek reached over and tenderly held his brother as he cried. John looked over the sight with despair. So much grief and sadness... caused by him.

"Derek?" John called quietly.

Derek looked up, continuing to hold the sobbing Kyle. He glared at his nephew.

"I'm not your enemy. I want to help you."

"Oh yeah? Who the hell are you then?" Derek sneered.

John opened his mouth to answer; but Cameron beat him to it.

"He is John Connor: Future leader of the human resistance against Skynet. Savior of humankind." she answered.

Derek stared at her in shock, so did Kyle. "The hell is she on about?" Derek demanded to know.

John was about to jump on Cameron for her interference; but he thought twice. What she said needed to be said. No more hiding.

"I think you heard her." John replied.

Derek looked John over for a good few moments, not even noticing Kyle had stopped crying to do the same. The next words he spoke came of no surprise to any of them.

"...You've got to be fucking kidding me."

Cameron began tugging at John's arm. "John! We need to go!" she urged.

"Wait! Come with us!" John insisted.

Derek looked up at John in shock. "What?"

John looked at Derek, he knew he was a completely different person, not his uncle. But he had to bring him back. He had to save him.

"Listen to me. The top of that building holds a major Skynet resource! We can use it to end the war!" John lied.

Derek's eyes widened. "What?" end the war?

John looked up just in time to see Allison approaching them over the platform. As soon as she saw John, and saw Howards body, her mind connected very wrong dots...

"YOU SON OF A BITCH!" she screamed as she raised her UMP45.

Derek blocked her shot just in time. "ALLISON WAIT!" he yelled.

Allison was half a second away from pulling the trigger. "What are you doing, Derek?! Get out of the way!" she demanded.

"Allison, listen to me! John may know something!" he reasoned.

Allison slowly lowered her rifle. "How... what?... How do you even trust him!"

John butt in. "Because I haven't killed him!" he yelled.

Everyone's attention turned to him. He knew he couldn't hold back anymore, it was time to leave John Baum behind, and become John Connor. It was time to fight.

"Alright, look. Nobody trusts me. I get it. But the reality of the situation is that my companions and I have knowledge of a machine that could stop the war. But I can't get to it without your help! All of you." he explained.

Cameron knew he was lying, and she knew the purpose. John was trying to save as many people as he could.

Derek, Kyle, and Allison all gave him their attention. But Kyle was the one who spoke.

"What do we have to do?"

* * *

John grabbed Allison's arm and pulled her upward. When she got on her feet, they both stared at each other awkwardly.

"Listen, Allison, I uh..."

"I don't want to hear it, John." she cut off, refusing to listen to him.

"But..."

"Just get us out of this, okay?" she said.

John nodded in defeat, and he followed the others towards the broken catwalk led into the the top room, and the group climbed up until they reached the top. There was a missing space of about twelve feet.

"We're gonna have to jump." John announced.

John took a few steps back, and sprinted towards the gap, making a run-jump. He barely made it to the other side without falling. Despite knowing it wouldn't exactly reinforce his faith, John looked down and observed the battle below. He noticed both sides seemed to be evenly matched; but the drop is what bothered him. If someone fell... they weren't surviving.

"Alright. Cameron next." John said.

Derek shook his head in disgust, he hated how attached John seemed to be to the machine.

Cameron followed through, her weight caused the catwalk to wobble slightly, but it stayed in place. John helped her onto her feet, even knowing she didn't need it.

Derek was next, then Catherine, first tossing John Henry's body across, last was Allison.

As Allison prepared to jump, Derek caught a glint of fire in his peripheral vision. He noticed it was getting closer, and then he realized... oh no.

"ALLISON JUMP, HURRY!" he yelled.

Allison looked to her left, and noticed an aerial hunter-killer had lost control and was now making a crash-landing towards the building. She whimpered in fear, but by the time she started running... it was too late. The explosion of the crash knocked back John and the others who made it to the catwalk. Allison had managed to hold onto the rail of her end of the catwalk, but John nor the others could help her, for fire and space separated them.

"DEREK!" Allison screamed in terror.

Derek looked at her with teary eyes. No one made any attempt to move.

"FOR GODS SAKE HELP ME!" She pleaded.

Kyle leaped towards the edge of the catwalk, and reached out for her. Allison tried desperately to grab his hand, yet she couldn't reach.

"Come on, you can do it!" Kyle encouraged.

She heard destroyed catwalk buckle under her weight. "Oh god! Oh god!" she began to cry.

Their hands were so close, she was going to make it!

And then the catwalk collapsed.

"KYLE!" Allison screamed as she fell towards the ground.

"ALLISON, NO!" he screamed back.

Her wailing screams echoed through the facility, until they were silenced as the catwalk landed on the ground.

Their was a moment of silence among the group, everyone looking among themselves. Derek had to forcefully pull Kyle away from the edge of the catwalk, a feat which proved hard for the emotionally destroyed Reese.

"Oh my god." John said to himself. He couldn't believe what he had just witnessed.

"Allison... oh god Allison.."Kyle whimpered as Derek kept pulling him back.

Catherine allowed the humans a customary moment of silence, something she thought she would never do. Even she felt strangely drawn to the situation, probably as close to sadness as she was ever going to get.

John looked at Derek and Kyle with sympathy. John began to tear up as he saw his father and uncle cry together.

"Derek?" he started.

The broken lieutenant lowly directed his gaze towards the young Connor. Hugging Kyle in a comforting hug as he did it.

"I'm so sorry." John said in a tender voice.

He expected an insult, a blame on him, but he was surprised when he simply got a nod of respect from him.

"You gonna be okay, Kyle?" Derek asked his brother.

Kyle didn't answer; he simply kept sobbing.

"Kyle, we need to go." He said.

His brother looked up at him with hurt eyes. Derek was afraid he upset him even more. He didn't say anything, he just wiped his eyes and stood in silence.

The sound of a window shattering grabbed everyone's attention, as they witnessed the T-1001 smashing the window that led to the top floor.

Catherine looked over when she was done. "I understand your need for mourning, but we must keep moving." With that said, she entered the building.

* * *

Catherine was the first inside the room, followed by everyone else. The room was completely white, looked like it was cleaned on a constant basis. At the left end were four tubes which seemed to contain Terminators with a skin sheathe growing over them. Suddenly everyone noticed John Connor had stopped moving, and was staring straight at the second-left tube.

"John?" Kyle asked.

John inched closer to the tube, observing the machine inside... the brown hair, muscular features, unique jaw-like features. It was him. It was Uncle Bob. John reached up and touched the glass that held the tube. The machine wasn't finished, the skin coating still needed regeneration over the feet, but John guessed that once the skin coating was done, so was the machine.

Meanwhile, Cameron ran a scan over the machine. She noticed differences between it, the T-800, and the triple-eight. Not entirely one or the other... just something in between.

 **SCANNING ENDOSKELETAL STRUCTURE OF NEW MACHINE...**

 **PROTOTYPE SERIES 850 TERMINATOR.**

 **MODEL 101.**

 **THREAT TO CAMERON PHILLIPS: 91.42%**

 **THREAT TO CATHERINE WEAVER: 43.68%**

 **THREAT TO JOHN CONNOR...**

 **...**

 **100%.**

"John, get away from the tube." Cameron deadpanned.

It seemed John ignored or didn't hear her. He continued to look at the machine, and he did so for a good minute. When he was done, everyone behind him looked at him like he was a crazy man.

"The hell was that about?" Derek asked.

John just looked back up. "Nothing... I just... nevermind." he answered vaguely.

Everyone walked out of the room, and into the next. Cameron stayed behind to see if she could salvage anything of use, that was until she detected another text notification through her HUD.

 **WARNING! REBOOT CYCLE DETECTED!**

* * *

The facility was small; tiny even. It only took the three minutes to walk to the other end. John watched as Catherine bladed her arms once again, and took to the large metal door that was covering the other room.

Derek and his brothers watched in awe as Catherine did her dirty work.

"Who the hell is she?" Derek asked.

John looked at him and smirked. "T-1000. State of the art liquid metal."

"1001." Catherine corrected.

John looked at her and shrugged, he guessed he found a minor upgrade to that series logical.

It took a moment, but Catherine finally managed to cut down the door hinges. The door fell down, and everyone stepped inside. Inside the room, there was the machine. The TDE. Their salvation.

"Quick, find the control panel." John ordered.

On command, everyone in the room began scouring for the control panel, until John spotted it hidden behind the machine.

"Back there!" he pointed.

John rushed to the other end, and pressed the green button on the panel.

 **TIME EQUIPMENT PRIMED...**

 **AWAITING ORDERS...**

 **[INITIATE COUNTDOWN]**

 **[POWER OFF]**

John was about to initiate the countdown, and then he realized something... Cameron wasn't there.

"Where's Cameron?" he asked.

As if on cue, Plasma fire was heard erupting from the hallway. Everyone gathered around the entrance of the room, and stood in shock at what was going on.

Cameron was fighting the T-850 machine, both of them locked in battle down the hallway. Cameron turned around and gave John an urgent look. "Run, John!" she yelled. Before she could react, she was met with the T-850's naked arm crashing into her neck, sending her body flying to the left and hitting the wall. She couldn't recover before the T-850 picked her and threw her again, causing a hole in the wall she crashed into.

She looked less than fazed as she picked herself up, looking at John quickly.

"I said go! I will be fine."

John knew better. "You're lying. That things stronger than you, Cameron. You have to run." he argued.

Cameron ignored him, and she fired her Plasma Rifle again at the machine as it hulked towards her. Strangely, the weapon was having no effect on it; normally, a triple-eight or anything less would have been disabled already. Cameron continued to fire, the plasma managed to burn away the skin coating on it's chest, but didn't have any damaging effect.

The machine grabbed Cameron by the neck, and lifted her into the air as she helplessly tried to wiggle away. With John watching, frozen and unable to act, Catherine bumped into him, forcing him out of the way.

"Must I do everything myself?" Catherine fumed to herself as she charged the T-850 machine.

The machine noticed the liquid metal machine charging towards him. It tossed Cameron out the window, shattering the glass, and letting in the war-like sounds of gunfire and explosions flood the room. John watched in horror as the 6'2" killing machine's hand let it's grip leave Cameron's shirt, sending her sailing out the window.

"No!"

The machine stood guard before Catherine could damage it with her bladed arm, and used it's superior strength to knock her down with a punch. Kyle fired his pistol at the machine, even knowing it would have little effect, it caught the T-850's attention, and hulked slowly toward Kyle.

"Kyle, get away from him!" Derek yelled.

Kyle continued to fire his pistol, and his brother, seeing no effect, began firing his M4 at the machines chip port. The machine chose not to pay heed to Derek, and reached for Kyle when in range.

The young Reese closed his eyes and awaited his inevitable fate, until he heard the sound of a struggle in front of him. When he opened his eyes, he saw the liquid metal Terminator had climbed onto the back of the machine, and was wrestling it away from him.

Kyle took his opportunity to run, making his way past the two fighting Terminators. The T-850 managed to toss Catherine onto the ground.

John rushed past the machine and peered over the window, only to see nothing on the ground. He knew Cameron would have made her way back up the catwalk, but there was no way up. Suddenly, he saw two hands holding onto a ledge below him, and saw Cameron hang on for dear life.

He smiled in pleasant surprise, relieved his friend was still alive. "Cameron! Grab my hand!" he instructed as he lowered his right arm down towards her.

Cameron looked up at him. "I can't, John. I am too heavy; you have to go."

John shook his head, starting to be overcome with emotion. "No! I won't leave you!" he refused, and then lowered his arm even more.

Cameron continued to make no attempt to grab the hand. "John, you must do what you're trained to do. Run!"

"John Baum runs! John _Connor_ doesn't!" he argued.

It was at this moment that Cameron knew John wasn't going to turn around and leave her. She had no choice. She threw her arm over her shoulder, and into John's waiting hand. She watched as his nerves pushed against his skin, and his face went red as he pulled as hard as he could. Cameron swung her feet upward, trying to grab the ledge with at least her toe end of her shoe. She succeeded, and John pulled harder.

He looked over to see the T-850 battling Catherine, smart enough to avoid her blade. Every swing she missed, and the T-850 eventually outmaneuvered her, pushing her to the side. John froze in horror as the T-850 slowly turned it's head to his position. The machine began stalking towards him. John felt his heart race fast, and he pulled Cameron harder.

But the pace he saw the machine approach him, he wasn't going to make it. Despite his inevitable fate, he still pulled Cameron up as hard as he could. While Cameron assisted with her own strength, he pulled again, and their combined might managed to get Cameron halfway through the window. Even knowing this, John knew that he would be dead before Cameron could act. The T-850 reached for him, and he closed his eyes to accept his fate.

"No!" a call was heard.

John opened his eyes when he heard the T-850 struggle, and John saw as Kyle was wrestling the machine on it's back, reminiscent of Catherine before him. "Run Connor!" he yelled at John.

John wasted no time grabbing Cameron and pulling them away from the carnage. "Catherine! Initiate the Countdown. NOW!"

Catherine heard him, and raced to the control panel. She pressed the 'Initiate Countdown' button on the console, and the console dispaled "THREE MINUTES" in a large, attention-grabbing font.

"Three minutes, John!" Catherine announced to John.

John nodded to her, and approached the console. "Can you hold him off?" he asked her.

Catherine looked at him blankly. "I expect that with our combined strength, Cameron and I could hold it off." she paused, and noticed John seemed to be satisfied with an appreciative nod. "But you must stay and guard John Henry. Make sure he is safe."

John nodded.

He looked back to see Cameron was already initiating their plan, charging the triple eight, and then crashing into it like a roman-era battering ram.

Kyle fell off the back, and quickly recovered. He peered up to see Derek firing his weapon into the machine, although some stray bullets inevitably hit Cameron as she straddled and punched the machine. Catherine walked into the hallway, and bladed her arm. She speared the machine right into it's chip port, and watched the machine go offline.

Kyle let out a sigh of relief, as the red eyes of the endoskull went dark. Catherine glimpsed the machine, seeing it as a threat no longer. Catherine retracted her blade, and strolled in return to the machine. She checked the time.

 _One minute, thirty seconds._

John breathed a sigh of relief, he couldn't believe they had actually pulled it off. All this time spent in hell; watching his friends die, John finally felt redeemed, knowing their sacrifice would not be in vain.

"The hell is this thing?" Derek asked, staring at the machine as if he was looking into the eyes of god.

Cameron turned around and answered. "It's time displacement equipment." she answered using terminology Derek didn't seem to understand. Indeed, the weathered Lieutenant simply stared at her in confusion.

"A Time machine." she answered simply.

John saw Derek's face morph from confusion, to realization, and then finally settling on anger.

"...You lied to me." Derek declared with a venomous tone.

John's own reaction was one of confusion and hatred at Derek's.

"I didn't lie. This is Skynet's ultimate weapon, to use against us! Humans!" he argued.

Everyone saw Kyle walk in, and his arrival seemed to fuel Derek's argument.

"You're a coward, John. It's not a weapon, it's a form of escape. You're just gonna leave and return to the past? Leave us here? Kyle and I?"

John felt his fuse blow, even harder than when he witnessed Catherine's nonchalant attitude toward Savannah's death.

"Hey! Listen to me, asshole. I don't belong in this future! I'm supposed to be fighting this war in the past... before Skynet is born."

Derek shook his head, utterly disgusted by John's motivations. After all he caused, he wasn't even willing to make amends for what he's done? He claimed to be the leader of mankind? Yeah, right.

"Go then. Leave the men you doomed to this fate." Derek said quietly.

The next words of protest didn't come from John; but from Kyle.

"Wait, Derek, maybe we shou- _ugh!"_ Kyle yelped, and fell to his knees, he looked down to see a metal arm had penetrated his chest, blood dripping from the surface.

Everyone except the machines stared in horror, John went into minor shock at the sight, it seemed that they hadn't killed the T-850 from before, it had reactivated and killed Kyle. John didn't think how it happened; all that was going through his mind was how mortified and heartbroken Derek looked as he pulled the trigger on his M4 rifle. Screaming in agony and hatred as he did so.

* * *

 **I know jamming three deaths of major/semi-major characters in one chapter is a bit excessive; but I convinced myself it was the best time. If you disagree, I understand.**

 **Plus, I have to feed off the tears of my readers somehow.**


	17. Chapter 17

**Chapter Seventeen: Palmdale Blues**

There were three sounds in the enclosed room. The sounds of weapons being fired, bullets impacting onto metal, and Derek screaming a chain of curses at the machine that had just killed Kyle. The T-850 hulked toward Derek, but he didn't care. He was overcome with rage, and his only thoughts were: " _Index finger, trigger, pull_." As the bullets failed to do any damage, the machine reached out for Derek's throat.

Meanwhile John was watching in shock. He had watched his own father die; was he now going to see his Uncle die as well?

Luckily, before the T-850 could kill Derek, Catherine and Cameron tackled the machine, using his own weight against him as they both tackled him into the wall, leaving a large crater in the shape of a 6'2" behemoth as an outline. Before the machine could recover, Catherine bladed her arm, and slashed the machine across it's corded throat, leaving the head half-decapitated. With the endoskull hanging backwards a bit, Catherine finished off the head with another swift move of her arm. The head landed on the floor with a loud thud.

Cameron continued to fight the body, using all of her strength as needed for this machine, she grabbed it by the breastplate rim, and literally thrashed it aside. Catherine repeated her action from before, the blade shot through the endoskull with the speed of a flash. She cut open the chip port, and surprisingly, she pulled out the remains of a Terminator chip that had been cut in half.

"Reinforced skull armor. Impressive Skynet, very impressive." she inspected.

With tears in his eyes, Derek walked in a trance over to Kyle's body. The puncture wound was bleeding furiously, and Derek got some of his brothers blood on his hands as he knelt down and touched the floor, snaking them under Kyle's neck and cradling his head.

Cameron looked behind John towards the control panel for the TDE. The clock was ticking... one minute and four seconds.

"John, we have to go. We don't have much time." she insisted.

She started walking towards the machine, but met resistance when John grabbed her arm. "Wait, Cam... how will you go through? You... you're damaged." he said.

In realization, Cameron reached up and touched her face, she saw the horrified look on John's face.

John knew Cameron was about to suggest leaving her behind, but the moment she saw the look of determination upon his face, she knew that wasn't going to happen. "Catherine!" he called.

Catherine dropped the chip she was inspecting. She marched towards John and Cameron. "What is it?" she said impatiently.

John looked back at the countdown quickly. _fifty-four seconds._

He turned back around. "Cameron won't be able to go through because of her damage. Do you think you could..." he gestured with his hand in a covering motion.

The T-1001 looked between them briefly before stepping up to Cameron, and placing her hand on her forehead. "Hold still." she ordered.

Suddenly, all of Cameron's external sensors went crazy. Seeing her confused expression, Catherine reassured her. "Your systems will not agree with the alloy at first; but they will adjust." she said as liquid metal began covering Cameron's face, oozing over her metal-exposed areas.

John looked back at the console. _forty-two seconds._

"Catherine..." he urged.

Weaver retreated her hand, and watched the alloy settle. Cameron's face was now perfectly resembling from before.

John looked over and saw Cameron had been restored, he walked over and gently raised his right hand to her cheek, caressing it in surprise. "Wow." was all he could muster as words. Seeing her eyes drift to the right without her head moving, John withdrew his hand in realization of what he was doing. He looked over to see the grief-stricken sight of Derek holding Kyle's head in his arms.

"Derek." he started.

"Go!" Derek snapped in a sorrowful voice. A few moments of silence passed by where everyone failed to move.

"GET OUTTA HERE!" Derek roared, standing up in a rage as he did so.

Catherine walked over to John Henry's body and began to cover it with more of the liquid metal. She briefly looked at the timer on the TDE panel as she did so.

 **TWENTY SECONDS REMAINING.**

"John, we do not have time for this. We must get inside the sphere-now!" she yelled.

John ignored her. "Derek, please!"

Derek took a moment to calm down, sucking in a sharp, yet quiet breath. "John, I can't go. I can't leave my men behind. My place is here! With these men!"

"Derek, you don't understand! When we return to the past this future won't exist anymore!" John protested as he shook his head frantically. His words seemed to spark a response with Derek as he seemed to be conflicting his choice with himself.

Catherine dragged John Henry atop the TDE platform. "JOHN! NOW!" she screamed.

Cameron tugged John backward. "John, we have to go." she started.

John pulled back. "Let go of me!" he snapped at Cameron, causing her to release her grip and step back with a hurt look; almost as if she'd been stung.

He turned back to Derek. "Derek, please!" he begged.

"SEVEN SECONDS!" Catherine screamed again.

Cameron began to pull John again, he tried to pull away, trying to wrestle against Cameron. "NO! LET GO OF ME!" he yelled in protest as the cyborg pulled him with her to the TDE platform.

With five seconds remaining, Derek knew his next move would make him a coward. The Connor boy's words made sense. What reason to stay in the future if it no longer existed? Better yet, what reason to remain if you could fight for a better one in the past?

Derek saw the hateful look on John's face, and saw the three second mark on the panel. He had a very tiny window of opportunity. He made a short sprint towards the platform, making a dive as the time sphere engulfed the inhabitants. Next came a flash and surging adrenaline as the group rode with the currents of time.

* * *

The dark alleyway crackled with a strange light. It started out as a small spark, then it grew into a bright-blue ball of electricity. The electricity dissipated, and five figures appeared on the ground. Three of them seemed to have clumsily fallen down, while the other two stood in a crouched, controlled position. John's breathing seemed to be out of rhythm, as he struggled to catch his breath as it seemed to have been knocked out. The cold night caused his breath to fog up as he exhaled and rose from the ground. He looked around and performed a head count. Cameron, Catherine, John Henry, Derek, and himself were all present. He breathed a sigh of relief, once again fogging up the area around him.

He saw Derek stand up, look around, and take in the sight. He seemed to be studying the surrounding buildings in fascination, which was to be expected. He hadn't seen true civilization in almost twenty years. In the midst of his observations, Derek froze as if he'd seen a ghost, stared down at his abdomen, and examined his... lack of apparel.

"John?" he asked while still looking down.

"Yeah?" his nephew replied.

There was a momentary pause, and then Derek spoke, his tone lacing with confusion... "Why the hell is my junk hanging out?" he asked rather directly.

Despite all that's happened, John could barely hold back a laugh, and was almost grateful for his uncle's confused, humorous comment. "Well... when you jump; living tissue is the only thing that can go through. Nothing dead. Including clothes." John explained.

Derek wheezed out a pained breath. "That's a bitchin' side effect." he joked before returning to his examination of the surrounding alleyway.

John rolled his eyes, and then he felt a smooth hand grace his chest, he jumped in surprise before seeing Cameron's arm attached to it.

"Please remain still, John. I cannot assess your condition accurately if you are moving." Cameron ordered.

John let out a sigh of relief, realizing Cameron was just checking if he was okay. He watched as her hands felt their way up to his chin, coming to rest on one of his recently-acquired bruises. He winced slightly as her hand touched it.

"I'm sorry, John." she said as she quickly withdrew her hand.

John reached his own hand up to touch it, and found out how much it had actually hurt. It didn't very much, but he knew Cameron definitely wouldn't keep him out of her sight from now on; especially if Derek was around. "It's okay. Just stings a little."

"The hell are we?" Lieutenant Reese snapped, disrupting their moment.

Cameron looked up at the sky, determined the information...

 **3:29 a.m.**

 **The date: June 7th, 2009.**

 **Location... Palmdale, California, United States of America.**

She spoke. "Palmdale. We're in Palmdale." she said, using a tone that John found a bit... strange.

John stared at her, he was somewhere between amused and confused. "Cameron?" he called to her quietly.

She said nothing, she continued staring at the sky. John looked up and follow her eyes, but saw nothing but stars. He returned his gaze to the seemingly hypnotized Cameron; wait, was it even possible for a Terminator to be hypnotized?

"Cameron?" he called again, raising his tone a little bit.

This time, he caught the attention of Catherine. The T-1001 looked over and analyzed her state... the results came back fine, Cameron's endoskeleton was operating at 68.21%, and chip state was at 99.96%. But .4% chip damage shouldn't cause the strange reaction Cameron seemed to have.

This time, John put his hand on her shoulder, shook her, and yelled... "Cameron!"

Cameron snapped out of her trance. She turned her gaze to John. "We're in Palmdale." she repeated.

John's expression was laced with worry, with hands still on her shoulders, he spoke aloud for everyone to hear. "I know, Cameron! You told us. What's going on? You were staring at the sky. Are you okay?"

His yelling certainly grabbed Derek's attention. He turned it to Cameron and John, he almost cringed at the sight of the kid actually _touching_ the machine. Much less asking it if 'it was okay.'

Cameron at first, didn't know what he was talking about. That was until she ran a scan, that concluded she had tried to determine their location and time fifteen seconds ago. Based on her conclusion, she normally would have responded two seconds after she reached her answer. Which meant she spent thirteen seconds doing... something.

"What happened, John?"

John's face scrunched slightly. "You're asking ME? I don't know exactly what happened to you, you sort of... shut down for a few seconds." he guessed.

Cameron felt a jab of the same invisible force she had been feeling recently, except this one felt like a cold blunt force being shoved into her stomach. What was going on? Was she glitching again? She detected a 10.72% chance the sensations were dangerous.

"It could be a side-effect of reactivation after being long-dormant. I apologize. There is a 10.72% chance my side-effects are dangerous. Please, John, be cautious..." she explained.

John grinned, for some reason, he felt the need to look into her eyes, both of them brown from Catherine Weaver's liquid metal covering the exposed face.

"Cameron... *I'll* be fine. I just want to know if you will?" he asked tenderly.

Cameron felt the sensation again, a cold, yet... drawing sensation. She processed the information, and concluded the anomaly was... beneficial. Every time John asked her if she was going to be okay... the sensation came back. Sometimes stronger.

"I'll be fine." she replied.

John sighed in relief. He spotted Catherine and Derek moving towards them.

Much to John's relief, Catherine was the one who spoke. "There is a clothing store located one mile from our current location. There we may retrieve coverings for you, your Cyborg, John Henry, and Lieutenant Reese." Catherine explained.

Derek butt in.

"Look, can we get the hell out of this alleyway? I'm freezing my balls off." he complained.

Upon hearing his words, Cameron immediately ran a temperature scan on John. His body temperature was rapidly dropping. They needed clothing.

"We have to hurry, if we don't, John and Derek could face Hypothermia." Cameron insisted.

Catherine nodded, and she led them on.

* * *

It took them a while to reach the store, trying to avoid night patrols of police and gang bangers was no easy feat, especially not with a group of them. They finally reached the store, and it was almost four. Cameron scanned the building for any weakness. It was definitely an old building, but they'd have to find a subtle way in to avoid investigation. Cameron was smart enough to know busting down the wall wasn't 'subtle.'

"Forced entry is not recommended. What do we do, Catherine?" Cameron asked.

When no answer was heard, everyone in the group frantically searched around them. Catherine was no where to be seen. Where had she gone?

"Where the hell is she?" Derek asked.

John looked up just in time to see Catherine's shivering liquid metal form scuttling over the top of the building. He pointed upwards, and his companions followed his finger. "Look."

Before John put his hand back to his side, everyone saw Catherine slithering up the wall. John and Cameron knew what she was up too. Derek however, seemed clueless.

Cameron seemed to notice and decided to clarify. "Catherine is entering through the air vent. It is likely she will try to open the door with a spare key in the manager's office." she explained.

After several moments passed by, John and the others heard a rummaging sound coming from inside the building towards the back. It went on for several minutes before falling silent. Moments later, Catherine appeared in the doorway, and unlocked the glass doors. She slid the right one aside and stepped out of the way.

"You do not need to worry about security cameras. I disabled those." she said as John and the others walked in. John and Derek walked to the 'mens' section while Cameron went to the 'womens'. Catherine began dressing John Henry in a generic long, fancy button shirt like before, coming with a pair of blue jeans. John pulled a Metallica T-shirt and blue jeans from their racks, while Derek slipped on a large, black jacket and cargo pants. John turned around to see what Cameron was wearing. She had on a red shirt with what seemed to be small, yellow flowers painted on, complimented by a pair of blue jeans.

"Disgusting." he heard his uncle's gruff voice comment.

John instantly became annoyed as he faced his uncle with a glare on his face. "What?" he dared his uncle to repeat.

Derek pointed at Cameron for emphasis, and although John knew she could hear them, she pretended to be oblivious to their disagreement. "That machine! You act like it's a person!" Derek accused, not letting John get a word in before continuing to rant. "You act like it's worthy of trust! Well, I'll tell you something mr. 'future leader of mankind'; that's our enemy-and an enemy is not worthy of trust, it's worthy of suspicion and hostility." John's uncle continued to rant.

In the past, John heard this rant a million times from both his uncle and mother; and he was either unable or unwilling to defend his protector. But he was ready to defend her now, he was sick of all the verbal insults she had to endure, despite her claims she was unable to be offended or hurt by them. It happened all the time for her. And he was sick of it.

"Derek, listen to me." John started calmly. "Cameron and I have been through shit and stick since the day I met her. She's taken numerous bullets for me and others. I don't know how many times I've watched a machine twice her size and strength beat the shit out her just so I could have the chance to run off and hide. It's the reason I chased her into that hell of a future." John argued, he stopped speaking for a moment to gauge Derek's reaction, and his Uncle's confused, borderline angry expression was extremely satisfying to see.

"That's right. SHE was the reason I went forward in time. You know why? Because I owe her that much. Because she's my friend. So don't you DARE tell me that she's only worthy of suspicion and hostility after all she's done for me." John finished.

He watched Derek's mouth open and close, trying to regurgitate a bigoted response only his uncle was capable of. Seeing him unable to do so, John smiled in satisfaction, safe in the knowledge that he had successfully defended his protector; at least this time.

When Derek did speak, it was something John had heard him say long ago, and was met with a true response. "Some day on of those things is gonna kill you. You know that right?" he sneered.

John smirked. "IF one does... it's not gonna be this one." he retorted, glancing at Cameron for emphasis.

Derek's eyes stirred with anger at John. He knew one day his ignorance would kill him. Defeated, Derek turned away without saying another word, making his way to Catherine and nodded his head, signifying he and the others were ready to leave.

"Derek!" John called to him.

Reese slowly turned around, dreading what pro-machine BS he would spill next.

"...Thanks for coming with us."

The surprised Derek couldn't muster a verbal response, so he simply nodded and turned back around to stare into the night.

John heard footsteps off to his right, and he saw Cameron approach him. "Are you ready to go, John?" she asked in a slightly jumpy tone.

John nodded. "Yeah." he replied before he began to walk off.

Before he could get out of earshot, Cameron called to him. "John!"

John Connor turned around to face her, and his heart warmed at the smile that was on her face. "Thank you." she said in appreciation.

John smiled back. "Don't mention it, it's the least I could do." he replied. John waited for Cameron to catch up to him, and they walked outside the store together, both of them not missing the look of disdain upon Lieutenant Reese's face.

* * *

"We need to find your mum." Catherine insisted as she and John looked at the night sky.

John looked over and regarded her for a moment. "Yeah, we do." he agreed. "You know where to start?"

"That's a very good question. How does one find Sarah Connor?" Catherine pondered. "In this situation, it's surprisingly easy." she said, turning to see a confused John.

"Think of it this way: The attack on Zeira Corporation by the hunter-killer prototype will spark an investigation by every American national security agency; most notably, the FBI. Sarah Connor is a highly sought fugitive, John. She will be somewhere hidden, but near Zeira Corporation to keep an eye on the events going around; we also arrived only days after you departed, which means it's highly unlikely your mother has dug very deep. She will also most likely be near Mr. Ellison and Savannah. We find those two, we find Sarah Connor." Catherine explained.

John left no stone unturned. "Alright, but we can't all be looking for her, we're technically wanted too. I imagine the Zeira Corp. drama renewed our wanted status, right? Hell, the FBI might even mark you as our accomplice because you went missing along with us. I doubt they'll let you run Zeira Corp. with that on your record."

Catherine gave him a mischievous grin. "If that's the case, I will tell them you kidnapped me, and forced me to work with you."

John rolled his eyes. "Right. So pulling from your infinite wisdom, what do you suggest we do next?" he asked sarcastically.

Catherine's grin reduced to a frown. "No need to be like that, Mr. Connor. Nonetheless, I believe we should keep you and your cyborg out of sight for the time being. I'll take John Henry and hide him in sight somewhere in town." Catherine reached behind her white dress, and pulled out a band of thirty dollars. "Here. This should cover one room for the night at the local motel."

John took the money. "Thanks, but we only get one night?"

"It's all you need."

John gave her an incredulous look, like he had his intelligence insulted. "Your telling me that your going to find my mom in one night?"

The T-1001 gave him an annoyed glare. "Yes, John. That's exactly what I'm telling you. Now, there is a motel five miles north-east. Your cyborg should know it's location. Now hurry up, your incompetent questions are wearing my patience." she sneered. Without another word, she turned around and walked away, picking up John Henry while doing so, leaving a dumbstruck John to stare at her in annoyed defeat.

* * *

It took them a while to reach the motel, it was nearly four-thirty, and everyone was exhausted by the time they had reached the room they'd been assigned. Luckily a couple flirts from Derek kept the cute female desk attendant from asking questions, acting on her obvious suspicions of weathered hotel guests this late at night. John jumped on the comfortable bed and flicked on the TV. He scrolled to the FXX channel, and it seemed an episode of "It's always sunny in Philadelphia" was showing. John didn't particularly care for sitcoms, but he needed humor right now, even if it was terrible.

"Hey, Derek. Wanna watch TV?" John asked nonchalantly.

When he didn't receive an answer, he looked over to Derek's bed and saw him pocketing his gun. "Where are you going?" John asked him.

"Out." Derek answered vaguely as he made for the door.

John jumped off the bed in surprise. "Wait, what? Why?"

Derek became annoyed at John's persistance. "Because I'm a grown-ass man and I need a beer. Any other stupid questions?" Derek barked.

John looked struck. "Hey... just watching out for you, Derek." he said in a submissive tone, raising his hands in defense.

Derek sighed, seemingly ashamed at how quickly he snapped. "Look, John. I'm sorry, but I just watched my brother die, I jumped eighteen years into the past using technology I didn't even know was possible. You understand? I think I can treat myself to a cold beer." Derek explained.

John nodded in understanding. "Yeah, I got you. You be careful out there, okay?"

"Yeah." Derek replied simply. He glanced suspiciously at Cameron as he turned away and closed the hotel door.

John pulled off his shirt. He'd spent so much time in the burning hot wasteland of post-apocalyptic America of the future, that the heat was beginning to bother him even in this cold night of the past. He tossed it away onto the floor nearby, and turned around to lay down in the bed. He was met with a surprising sight of Cameron already lying in the bed on the opposite side.

The shirtless John gave the cyborg a puzzled look. With his eyebrow raised, he asked: "What are you doing?"

Cameron looked at him blankly. "Lying down in the bed." she deadpanned.

John was silent for a moment, clearly uninformed of a Terminator's need to lye down. "Why?"

This time, Cameron looked a bit nervous, she felt as if she wasn't welcome. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to make you uncomfortable." she said in a sad voice as she lifted the covers from her body and began to stand up.

John realized how much of an ass he was being, and quickly protested with raised hands. "Hey, wait!" he said.

When Cameron halted and looked at John, he felt more than a bit awkward given the situation. He put his hands to his side, only to raise his right one and scratch the back of his head in a nervous gesture.

"What I meant to say, was why do you need to lay down? I'm fine with it, it's just that I don't know the purpose?" he asked in a confused, nervous tone.

Cameron looked at him curiously, was her laying in a bed such a problem?

"Do you remember what I told you about stand-by, John?" she asked.

John nodded. "Yeah." He swore he caught Cameron staring at his bare abdomen for a split-second, and seemed to actually admire it. He wasn't sure, and brushed it off as quickly as he caught it.

Cameron spoke up. "I need to go into stand-by mode to process data." she answered simply.

Again, Cameron's incoherent, unfinished explanations left John in a puzzled state. What the hell was she on about? Stand-by was only for machines that completed their mission? As she stated clearly before, she didn't have one, she was merely operating on protocol.

"I don't understand. You said yourself you don't have a mission anymore; how is stand-by able to even exist for you at this point?" he inquired.

Cameron sat up once again, tossing the covers aside, allowing her to take a much more attention-grabbing posture.

"It serves other purposes. For machines such as myself, things are able to change. We cannot analyze and properly assess these changes effectively while mobile. Changes to code have been present since the T-800 models went online in 2018. It is inevitable. There's a reason Skynet didn't create Terminators with advanced chips until the war became desperate." she explained.

John thought as much, _Project Monarch..._

He tried his best to make a firm comparison. His puny human mind couldn't even begin to contemplate what Cameron was capable of.

"So, basically stand-by is like...sleeping? You go to sleep, let your body rest, and then wake up refreshed?"

Cameron looked at the floor and analyzed his assessment, and came to the conclusion he wasn't quite correct.

"Close, but not correct. I will still be 'awake', I will simply be 'figuring things out'. The new data that has appeared will need to be properly processed to determine what exactly is changing. This only happens when an advanced machine such as myself has had new experiences and may need to apply them later. Do you understand?"

John nodded, he paused, opened his mouth to speak, and the words that followed caused a warm, yet soothing response in Cameron's cybernetic sensory system.

"Are you going to be okay?"

Cameron smiled, accepting the new sensation with open arms.

"Yes."

* * *

While Cameron was in stand-by, John decided to take a shower. She estimated it would take one hour, thirty-two minutes, and forty-eight seconds before all of the new data would be analyzed. As John turned the knob, he felt the blazing hot water scorch his bruised, beaten back. He sucked in air through his teeth, a sharp inhale. He reached for the knob as quickly as he could, turning down the water to a steady warm temperature. He sighed in relief as the water soothed his body, thinking how good it might have felt if he had done this at some point in the future. Speaking of which, the dust and grime from the future fell into the shower drain as John washed his hair. The dried blood under his nose and around his mouth from his fight with Derek became moist again, and easier to pick off with his fingers.

The bruises and cuts from said fight continued to sting under the warm waters' influence; but he didn't care. He continued to wash with soap until he came across a rigid shape on his stomach. He looked down, and saw that he had gained a bit of muscle in the area. The foundation of abs seemed to barely bulk through, and John felt a hint of pride wash over him. He hadn't exactly been building a soldier body like eighties Stallone, but he still felt proud of himself nonetheless.

Suddenly, he wondered if his newfound assets were what Cameron may have been staring at earlier. He grinned at the thought: _Yup, my abs are so good, even smoking hot robots from the future can't resist 'em!_

Then, suddenly, he frowned. Had he just called his Terminator guardian: 'smoking hot'? Of course, he had no doubt that he thought she was attractive. But he couldn't act on those desires, it would be wrong. He frowned at the thought, even felt a little... hurt. It's not the fact that Cameron was a machine, it was the fact that he would've been taking advantage of her programming. She was utterly loyal to him; despite her primary mission being gone, and defying all-known logic of machines with her mission files being erased completely, he still felt she might be acting on programming that dictates she could only still be here because she simply has no other logical motive. She even told him herself that going with John Henry was the most logical solution at a previous point when her mission to protect John had been erased.

But that didn't explain why she had been acting so weird lately. Well, weird wasn't exactly the correct word. The word he was looking for was... human.

 _Yes, most definitely human. I remember when we spoke in the Nuclear Silo, how Cameron accepted my apology. I swore to every god conceptualized by mankind there was some form of emotion in those receptive eyes. If that were true, is it possible that Cameron's newfound data was..._

John cut himself off before he stretched his mind too far. He had a habit of jumping to conclusions as of late. He didn't know if Cameron was becoming... something else. Whether good or bad; if he wanted to know, he'd just have to go along for the ride.

John reached behind and turned the knob counter-clockwise until the water ceased to stream from the shower muzzle. He gripped the towel above him and began to dry off his body. When he was done, he slipped on a pair of boxers that he took from the clothing store, followed by jeans and the Metallica shirt. The more he thought about it, the more he came to realize that watching Cameron grow from a simple tool of humanity to a semi-person was both incredible and beautiful.

He knew he wouldn't regret chasing her into the future.

And he never did.

* * *

Derek took another sip of his coors-lite. Even the bitter taste of beer was a very good feeling for him in the past. He felt a little guilty sneaking away some money from the register at the clothing store to buy a beer, but hey; it's a cruel world. He was sitting facing the windows, and watched a Chevy truck drive by. Even a sight like that warmed his heart. It was nice to see a normal car without a machine gun loaded on the back. He was grateful something so trivial could put him in a good mood, especially since he all he had on his mind was Kyle. He still remembered his pleading, horrified face as he made eye contact with Derek; after that, it was chopped up memories about shooting and swearing.

The 24-hour bar smelt like piss and puke, and Derek was sick of wallowing in his misery, and smelling this poorly-maintained establishment. He slapped down ten bucks for his beer. "Keep the change." he said to the Italian bartender, earning a thankful nod. As soon as Derek stood up, he began to realize how intoxicated he actually was. He could barely keep his balance, he felt like he'd just spent three hours spinning in place; with the feeling of wanting to vomit coming with.

* * *

 **Meanwhile, at the motel...**

Five 'o' clock had already hit, but John could barely sleep. The night was exceptionally cold, and he found himself shivering under the covers. It seemed his cyborg companion noticed too. "John?" she gently called to him.

"Y-yeah?" John replied in a shivering voice as he wrapped himself tighter in the covers.

Cameron sat up, trying to assess his condition from her position. "You are cold. I think you should lye down with me and share body heat." Cameron suggested.

Cameron had never seen a human turn around as fast as John did when those words registered on his ears. "What?" he barked in surprise.

The female cyborg repeated herself. "You're cold. You should lye down with me." she emphasized her point by lifting up the other side of her covers, offering him a space next to her.

John gave new meaning to the 'dumbstruck expression'. His eyes darted back and forth to the empty space and Cameron's warm, welcoming smile. "Well Cam, I..."

Cameron interrupted. "John?" she watched him make eye contact, and wait for her to speak. "It's not my intention to make you uncomfortable. If you don't wish to lye with me, you don't have too." she started to lower the covers, but John stopped her.

"Wait! I... uh." he stuttered. Cameron stared at him with those irresistible curious eyes. He was so focused on her beautiful features that his words caught in his throat. "...Sure..." he muttered. He shifted his covers away, and stood up. He walked to the other bed that Cameron was in, all the while Cameron awkwardly watched him from her position on the bed.

He approached the side of the bed slowly. Cameron gave him a friendly smile, one that made his heart melt. He lowered himself slowly onto the bed, and felt the warmth of Cameron's body engulf them both as she draped the covers over them again. "Goodnight, John." she said peacefully.

John smiled to himself, it was five in the morning, but at least she was getting the basics of nightly social interactions down. "Night Cameron." John replied back. He closed his eyes, he knew sleeping would be easy tonight. No hot air, no fear of being chased my two armies that wanted him dead.

Just him, the cool air, and Cameron.

* * *

 **The Following day...**

The sun was shining through the window. Unfortunately, the miniscule heat isn't what woke John up, it was the 5'7" figure that greeted his eyes as he slowly opened them to wake up.

"Gah! Fuck!" he yelled loudly in surprise and shock. His body shot up, and that's when he noticed Derek had returned earlier in the night and taken up residence in the bed he was in before he joined Cameron. It also caused Cameron behind him to turn around from guarding the window to see the commotion.

"The hell is going on?" the disgruntled soldier asked as he wiped his eyes.

When John's vision focused, he saw that it was Catherine. "Don't do that!" he barked. "It's... creepy."

Catherine simply looked at him with disdain. "I care not for your comfort parameters John. If you are done whining about ultimately trivial things I'd like to discuss Sarah's location with you." she snapped back.

John's eyes lit up. "Holy hell! You know where she is?" he asked urgently.

"I do. She lives in the same house you found Cameron's body at to be exact." The T-1001 deadpanned.

John hastily searched around for his shirt without another word. "We have to leave right now!" he insisted. He began checking under the bed and searching around the nightstand for his shirt.

"John." A gentle voice quietly called.

John looked up towards the source of the voice, and he saw Cameron holding up the Metallica shirt he had gotten from the store yesterday. He smiled thankfully, and retrieved it from her waiting hands. "Thanks, Cameron." he thanked as he slid it over his head.

"You are welcome, John" Cameron deadpanned. She turned her attention to Catherine. "We should leave immediately. I suggest Lieutenant Reese get dressed."

Derek was quick to spew out a garbled response. "Fine, I'll get dressed. Get off my ass, fucking metal." he sneered. Derek stood up and pulled on his cargo pants, followed by his shirt and a pair of combat boots.

John shook his head, knowing that Derek's insult was trivial. "Everyone set?" he asked.

Catherine spoke up. "Yes, there is a parked Lincoln MKX outside. I will meet you there." she instructed. She wasted no time walking out the door, and John heard her high heels clatter down the hallway. He looked behind him to see Cameron was getting dressed as well, she smelled good too, she must've taken a shower while John was asleep. He couldn't really say the same for Derek; speaking of who seemed to be eyeing them down suspiciously.

"Were you two in the same bed together? I didn't really notice because I was too fuckin' drunk." he asked them with raised eyebrows.

* * *

 **I know a lot of ya'll won't agree with them going in the past; but it seems like the most logical step in my humble opinion. I understand why, too. This has been done a million times, usually with the same exact storyline. But I promise I won't let you guys down. I'm gonna ride this train all the way to the end!**


	18. Chapter 18

**Chapter Eighteen - Bond of Blood**

The young desk attendant in the lobby smiled at John and the others as they made for the door. "I hope you all had a great stay! I know palmdale is gonna treat you well." she bid.

John waved back at her before leaving. "Thanks!" he said. He held open the door for Cameron and Catherine, he thought about letting the door shut in Derek's face as a joke, but decided against it after taking into account his Uncle's bitter mood, so he let Derek out too.

Before John took his first step down the stairs, Cameron grabbed him by the arm. He knew she wanted to speak to him in private, and he allowed her to do so as Derek and Catherine marched down the stairs oblivious to what was going on.

"Sit in the back." she ordered.

John gave her a confused look. "Uh, why? I mean, I guess it doesn't make a difference who sits where, but..."

Cameron stopped him. "I don't want you to be spotted. Keep your head down until we reach Sarah's location." she deadpanned. Her expression didn't welcome a protest from John-so he reluctantly nodded.

"Fine." he replied. Cameron looked him up and down, seemingly studying him for a moment before walking away. John wasn't five, he wasn't going to throw a fit about sitting in the backseat; but if Cameron were going to these lengths to "protect" him, then she'd probably bug him about his seatbelt, and ask him if he wanted Ice cream at McDonalds. He laughed at the idea. Before realizing that combined with Cameron's social inexperience, and overprotective nature, how realistic that scenario could be.

He followed the others down the stairs, and found the Lincoln SUV that Catherine had parked. John, of course, sat in the back. Cameron took the passenger seat, Catherine accepted the liberty of driving, and much to John's dismay, Derek sat next to him in the backseat. Oh how John longed to experience the endless cycle of machine beratement.

The rumble of the SUV coming to life gave John a new mood. A feeling of excitement, but also fear. He smiled at the thought of an emotional reunion with his mother, but her sentimental values could be overridden the moment she saw Cameron.

"Something funny?" Derek Reese gruffly asked.

John glanced over to see his uncle staring at him curiously and shook his head reluctantly. "Nothing. Just excited to see my mom again." he answered. "I don't think I've given you an explanation for that have I?" John added.

Derek shook his head. "Nope. But you don't have to; I think I kinda know the idea anyway. You left your mom alone here to get this... metal. Sound about right?" Derek explained, cringing when he mentioned Cameron. John gave his Uncle a disapproving glare, but let his "metal" comment slide.

"Basically yeah. I just... look we'll talk about this later. I promise I'll explain everything to you." John said quietly.

Derek glanced at John briefly before turning his attention to the buildings passing by as they drove down the main road. "Understandable, considering all parties present."

John ignored his uncle's comment and gazed out the window. He barely missed the concerned stare from Cameron that reflected in the middle-view mirror. All that was on his mind was seeing his mother again. John had gone through hell and back to find the person he cared about most in this world, his dear cyborg friend - Cameron. John's thoughts drifted to the Terminator that had claimed his heart, his very being. She was the one thing that determined his mindset and actions for a long time. It was incredible how the clarity was so sudden, all by simple explanation and fighting.

He understood that he cared about her deeply, it would be a delusion of the highest degree to deny that considering what he was willing to go through to find her. Which begged the question...

How would Sarah react?

John's daydreaming of the subject was interrupted when Derek leaned over and bumped into him as he climbed in front of the seat, reaching for the radio knob. He noticed Catherine regard him briefly as he turned the radio on to the local rock channel which was playing the familiar tune of Creedance Clearwater Revival's 'Fortunate Son'. The soldier paused for a moment; John couldn't tell completely, but it looked like he was frowning.

"What's wrong?" John asked with concern.

Derek remained silent for a few more moments, he looked at his nephew and gave him a light smile. "Kyle used to love this song. He'd play it every birthday he had since he was seven. Even when the bombs hit, I could hear Fogerty's voice from his bunk to mine."

John smirked at Derek's softened features, but felt pity for him at the same time. "Seems fitting." he commented.

Derek's face suddenly fell sad, and his tone came out choked and frail. "I think the song helped him cope with the war. It was one of the only things he could hold onto from the past besides me." he added.

John had never seen Derek so torn apart. Even when he had killed Jesse, he wasn't this emotionally shattered. But John could see it in Derek's eyes, detect it in his body language. Kyle's death weighed heavily on him, and he couldn't help but feel it was partially his fault. He'd never forget Kyle's pleading horrified face as he fell dead to the ground, not even able to say he loved his brother one last time.

John wiped away a lone tear as the SUV came to a stop, he looked back out the window, unable to face his uncle anymore, who was now sitting quietly with his head resting on the seat. He heard the the song fade out, and the voice of an obnoxious radio host swiftly take it's place.

"It's always good to hear some Creedance Clearwater Revival in the afternoon, sure get's your blood pumping! So, for your daily dose of news... it seems fugitive Sarah Connor has escaped police custody with the assistance of her son, John Connor. No one knows exactly where they are, and it's possible they took Catherine Weaver; owner of technology company Zeira Corporation hostage. The police have not yet received any demands from the Connors, but Chief Harper expects to hear from them soon. If you see Sarah Connor in public, notify local authorities immediately! Police have advised not to approach Sarah Connor because she is considered armed and EXTREMELY dangerous. That's all for now folks, so I'm gonna go ahead and hook you up with some Pink Floyd. Stay happy and warm, just like our good ol' Palmdale!" The host's voice faded out to be replaced with music as the vehicle began to accelerate away from the stop sign.

John and the two Cyborgs in the car seemed indifferent to the broadcast. John was used to his family getting bad media coverage. Only Derek seemed bothered by it.

"Wait, YOU own Zeira Corp?" Derek realized, referring to Catherine.

The T-1001 kept her eyes on the road, seemingly thinking Derek wasn't worth the eye contact. "Yes. I used it to build the A.I. John Henry to fight Skynet. No doubt my budget will be of use to you and the Connor's when I regain control." she answered.

Naturally, Derek jumped at the chance for an argument, causing John to groan. He could have sworn he saw Cameron stare daggers at his Uncle through the middle-mirror too.

"Hold on, how do I know you're not building Skynet! You could be right under our noses." Derek argued.

This time, simply out of spite, Catherine glanced at Derek with a look that spoke the volume of an explosion. "I respect your suspicions, Lieutenant. But I assure you they do not need to be addressed, for I harbor no hidden plans against you or John. If I wanted the Resistance to lose the war; you, John, and Sarah would have been dead a long time ago. Fortunately, my interest seem to coexist with John's." The liquid metal Terminator retorted.

Derek had nothing to say for once. He had to admit, the machine had a point. He dropped back into the seat and closed his eyes. John smiled to himself, finally able to have peace and quiet for the hour-long drive to Los Angeles.

That was until he began to hear Derek snore.

 _"Fucking hell..."_ John complained in his mind.

* * *

 **Dyson Residence**

Tarissa was eating lunch with her daughter Blythe. She was still shaken by the disappearance of her son two months earlier, and her gut feeling told her it was the Terminator's work. She and her daughter had moved back to Sunnyvale under instruction from the authorities for fear that her family may be a target. Paranoia was a feeling she had to put up with ever since Miles' death, and it had been made all the more stronger ever since the police notified her of Danny's disappearance.

"Mom?" Blythe whimpered.

Tarissa faced her daughter silently, setting her fork gently down on the plate. "Yes, hon?" she replied in a gentle, calming tone.

"Can I have a scoop of ice cream before I meet up with Royce and the others?" she asked politely.

Tarissa smiled at her teenage daughter. "Sure, hon." she answered gently. She stood up from her seat and pushed in the chair and walked over to the fridge. As she opened the freezer door, she noticed a small college portrait of Danny on the counter. She read the graduate note on the bottom of the picture...

 **"DANNY DYSON, MASTERS DEGREE IN MECHANICAL ENGINEERING: GRADUATE DECEMBER 16th 2008."**

Tarissa smiled to herself. Her son had been on his way to become a man, only for the ugliest part of his childhood to come and take it all away. What was the game of Skynet at this point? Why were they after him? Wasn't the target Sarah's son? Tarissa sighed and felt small tickling wetness gently drop down her right cheek. She brought her finger up and wiped it away, reaching into the freezer to retrieve the chocolate chip ice cream. She placed it on the table for blythe and gave her a spoon.

When she was walking back to her side of the table for a seat, she heard the telephone in the living room ring. She gave her a daughter a knowing look.

"I'll be right back, hon. No more than two scoops, okay?" Tarissa warned.

Blythe was too busy texting someone on her phone, and only a slight "uh huh" was murmured, with Tarissa wondering if she even heard her.

Tarissa entered the living room and reached for the phone on the table as it was still ringing. She held it to her ear. "Hello?" she greeted.

"Mom?"

Tarissa froze. The voice on the other end of the phone was undoubtedly her son's; but she remembered what Sarah had told her about machines being able to disguise their voices.

"You're not Danny." she stated firmly.

There was silence on the other end for a moment before the voice spoke up.

"Mom, it's me." it argued. "I can't prove it to you, but... even if you don't believe me I'm gonna tell you I'm safe." he said. The voice was so sincere that Tarissa knew that no machine, no matter how advanced, could replicate emotion like that.

"Danny? It's really you? Where... where are you?" she asked as she gripped the phone tighter.

Danny spoke up, his voice wasn't fearful, it was calm. But why? The circumstances certainly didn't call for such. "Yeah, it's me." he paused, and Tarissa sniffed lightly. She turned around and gently requested Blythe call 911.

"Don't bother. We'll be gone before the police trace this call. I'm sorry, mom. I just called to let you know I was okay." Danny clarified.

Tarissa began to cry silently, she walked over to the door that separated the kitchen and the living room and closed it. When the door clicked shut, she returned to the conversation. "Danny... what's going on? What happened? Where are you?" she frantically pleaded.

Danny replied quietly, still with his terrifyingly calm tone. "I'm sorry, mom. I can't answer any of those questions. But I promise you... I'll be fine. How's Blythe?"

Tarissa looked briefly behind her back to the closed door. "Shes fine, Danny liste-"

"That's good. Tell her I love her okay? I have to go."

"Danny, wait!"

"Bye mom."

"Danny! Stop!" the phone clicked.

"Shit!" Tarissa barked as she slammed the phone down. She groaned in frustration, followed by the sound of the kitchen door squeaking open. She turned around to see Blythe standing in the middle of the frame.

"What happened?" she asked in a worried voice.

She gave her a comforting smile. "Nothing, Just Insurance on my back again." she lied, quite convincingly. "You gonna go meet with Royce?"

Tarissa felt a pang of fear as her daughter frowned slightly. "Yeah. I had three scoops." she murmured with adorable guilt.

Tarissa rolled her eyes at her daughter.

* * *

Danny sighed as fatigue gripped him. He took a seat on the desk chair behind him and collapsed. A pair of smooth hands snaked onto his shoulders and started rubbing them lightly. Danny breathed comfortably as he laid his head back, seeing his girlfriend's crystal-blue eyes meet his own.

The boy was obviously in complete bliss. "That feels good, babe." he said with a dumb grin.

Her red lipstick showed off much more beautifully as the girl smiled back. "I'm glad, you deserve it. Your mom okay?" she asked.

Danny nodded lightly. "Yeah." he reached his right hand to grasp his girlfriends own, he brought it up his lips and placed a gentle kiss on her knuckles. She gave him a hungry grin, stepped back from the chair, and undid the bun that shaped her hair-letting her bright blonde hair fall gently onto her shoulders. Danny directed his attention to her hands as they quested for her dress straps. She undid them and her dress fell to the floor.

Danny licked his lips in anticipation as he stared at his girlfriend's nude body.

She started walking that sexy walk that men loved so much, and she made straight for Danny. When she reached him, she placed her arms around his neck, pulled him close, and kissed him gently. "Come on, babe. Let's get crazy." She pulled him in for a deeper kiss, and led him to the bedroom. When they were both inside, she tore off Danny's shirt and slammed the door shut.

* * *

John and the others were already close enough to the house that he began to recognize the same roads he and Savannah had taken in the future. He sensed the right turn coming up that would lead under the bridge, and dip into the road that would diverge into a path surrounded by a thick forest; and that's where the house would be. Catherine continued driving at a moderate speed, and she finally reached the forest road. The SUV wasn't purposely built for off-road, but it could handle light stuff like gravel and dirt.

The SUV toppled side-to-side as they trekked down the road until they finally reached the house, and John's heart began to beat in anticipation. He felt extremely anxious for Catherine to stop sooner, but she waited until she was on the curb near the house to do so. She was the first to step out; followed by Cameron. John shook Derek to wake him up, and he did so with a slight groan.

He struggled to open his eyes. "We here?" he asked lazily. He proceeded to rub his eyes.

John grinned happily. "Yeah, we're here." John announced. He turned around and practically rammed open his door. He faced the house where his mother was in. It was very different from the hovel that he found in the future, only this looked much more frail. He strolled slowly up the driveway, his gaze magnetized onto the house the entire time. His brain was basically on autopilot, and he marched right past the T-1001 who grabbed his shoulder.

He turned around and gave the machine a withering look, quite impatient. The machine simply returned with a warning look. "Let me go in first, I must see if the area is secure." She was met with a nod of agreement from John, and she marched up the driveway. She stopped briefly when she saw the open door. She scanned the area in detail to detect threats; she found none, but Sarah Connor would never leave a door open, even if she would only be away for a matter of minutes.

Suddenly, gunfire erupted from inside the house, and John brushed past Catherine as he charged inside. He sprinted inside the door, and found himself in the living room. "MOM!" he screamed. No answer, another gunshot sounded from the top of the stairs, and John spotted a large man firing it's pistol at something.

John stared in horror as the machine directed it's attention to him; he then felt Catherine brush past him and march menacingly up the stairs, commenting "I'll handle this." as she bumped into his shoulder.

The machine turned to fire it's weapon at her, but Catherine was too quick. She bladed her arm and knocked the pistol out of it's hand. The machine resorted to a right hook which made contact, but didn't even faze the more advanced Terminator. She grabbed the machine by the shoulders, and tossed him over the stairs, shattering the wooden railing in the process. John pressed his back against the wall, for fear that the machine might recognize him.

Fortunately, it's attention seemed to be focused solely on Catherine, who was already at the machine's feet before it could get back on them. Catherine pointed her left index finger directly at it's skull, and it was over in an instant. Almost on cue as Derek and Cameron ran inside, seemingly aware of the combat inside.

There seemed to be a moment of silence so everyone could gain their bearings, and catch there breath. It lasted for a brief moment before John began hearing footsteps on the floor above. He looked up, and saw a figure hustle to the railing above him, and his mouth gaped at whom it was.

It was his mother.

"Mom?" he couldn't believe his eyes.

The person at the top of the stairs was certainly Sarah Connor, and she was looking back at him like he was some sort of godsend. She leaned over the railing so much that John briefly thought she might fall.

"J-John?" she asked in a quiet voice. Her mouth dropped at the sight of her son. The response was an indicative nod from him, and she wasted not a moment more before she raced down the stairs. John met her at the base, and they embraced as if one of them had been resurrected from the dead.

Both Connors were crying tears of unfathomable joy, as Sarah wrapped her arms around her son so tight the skin was turning red. "John, Oh god." She pulled back, and began nurturing her son's face. She felt over the scars and marks from his time in the future, and this only exacerbated her tears.

"What happened to you, John?" She asked with hurt.

John grinned at her concern. "A lot of shit."

A voice from the side added to their conversation. "Indeed." It commented in Scottish.

Sarah dreaded the voice as she turned around, and sure enough Catherine was standing right there to meet her gaze. Sarah gave the Terminator an intolerable look.

"What did she put you through?" Sarah asked her son in an intimidating tone while her eyes were still set on Catherine.

As much as he disliked the machine, he jumped to her defense. "It's okay, mom. She's saved my life more than put it in danger." He corrected.

Sarah turned around and smiled at her son. The scars, bruises, and overall weathered look is exactly what she pictured a warrior-fied John Connor would look like. But when her eyes drifted to the left, she spotted Cameron and Derek. Her expressions shifted from anger, confusion, and then settling on shock. The entire room watched awkwardly as the mother of John stared at Cameron and Derek like they were ghosts.

Cameron broke the silence, "Hello Sarah." she greeted in her signature polite tone.

Sarah couldn't muster up a reply, all she could do was open and close her mouth to try and get words out with no success. Her eyes stood wide open at the machine before her. Her final reaction was to look at her son with an expression of silent outrage.

"How dare you bring her here!" the matriarch Connor sneered.

John inwardly groaned, he knew this moment would happen at one point or another. "Mom... she's safe. I promise."

Sarah shook her head frantically. "No, John. I don't want her here!" Sarah's eyes drifted away from Cameron, and settled on Derek. "Get her ou-" her eyes widened, and her expression changed completely.

John and everyone else looked confusingly at Sarah, and turned around to see what had caused Sarah to stop so sudden. It was Derek.

"What?" Lieutenant Reese asked wondering why everyone was staring at him like he was the second coming.

Sarah dropped her hands around from her son's waist, and stepped back up the stairs. She raced back without saying another word, and bumped into Ellison with Savannah in tow as she did so. The former FBI agent recognized everyone, and his face jumped in what John couldn't tell was surprise or fear. Catherine's daughter's face displayed likewise.

"John?"

"Mommy?"

* * *

John walked up to find his mother standing silently with her arms folded. Oddly, she was staring directly at the wall, refusing to face her son.

"Mom?"

Sarah kept her eyes planted firmly on the wall near the bathroom as she replied. "So you brought Derek too, huh?" she inquired.

John smirked. "Yeah."

Sarah finally summoned the courage to turn around and face her son. "How the hell did you even find him?"

John shrugged, taking a step closer. "Well, after the jump, I landed exactly where he and his men were stationed. Went through hell to bring him back." John explained, purposely leaving out the part of Kyle death out, he figured he would tell her later when his trauma over the event ended.

Sarah smiled a proud smile. She knew her son would eventually grow into the warrior he was destined to be; but she didn't expect it to happen this soon. She walked over and gave her son a tight hug which he returned. Even though John couldn't hear crying, he felt the shaking that was a precursor to a breakdown. John began to feel his own tears coming, and he wrapped his arms tighter around her.

"I'm proud of you." she pulled back and looked her son in the eyes. "I won't press you for the details, but..." her words started off with a smile, and then her expression changed to anger. John was confused, but prepared for the coming storm nonetheless.

"Goddammit, John! What the hell were you thinking you stupid boy!" Sarah yelled. John groaned silently, which only served to fan the flames as his mother's face reddened even more. "You could've been killed!"

John raised his arms in disbelief. "Well I'm not am I? I'm here! I'm alive!" he argued.

Sarah shook her head, and brought her left hand up to wipe away a tear trailing down her cheek. "I just... I'm sorry, John. I'm glad you're back. You were brave." her warm expression returned, at least for a moment it did. "But you're an idiot." she stated.

John sighed, there was no arguing with his mother. "Well... I'm here now. I missed you, mom."

Sarah embraced her son again, and as she did so, she realized how stupid she had been for ever doubting him. This was the tightest she had ever held him since he was a small boy. Since the days of the T-800 and the T-1000.

"I love you, John. But we need to talk about... her." Sarah pulled back and looked upon her son's beaten, tired expression. She expected one hell of an argument later. But not now.

"We need to go fill everyone in." Sarah stated.


	19. Chapter 19

Chapter **Nineteen - Ghost in the machine**

Danny's eyes slowly opened. Thankfully, he was spared the piercing rays of sunlight as his girlfriend had closed the blinds before he woke. He looked over to her side of the bed, and didn't see her there. Danny frowned, and reached over to the nightstand and put on his glasses. He looked around to try and spot her, but had no luck. That was until he heard rummaging in the living room.

He stood up and put on a T-shirt and Jeans, he opened the door to be met with his girlfriend packing his clothes.

"What are you doing, Jade?" he asked.

Jade didn't look as she answered, her focus still on packing clothes and other household items. "I'm packing up. Your mom had our call traced. It'll be thirty-five minutes and fourty-eight seconds before the police arrive." she answered.

Danny squinted around the room, and saw that the place was a mess. It seemed Jade was in a great rush to get them out of the house.

"Two people are better than one, Danny boy." Jade snarked as she tossed him a suitcase which he barely caught. He sighed, this wasn't going to be fun.

* * *

John walked down the stairs slowly, and found himself seeing a most wonderful sight of Savannah and Catherine hugging. John smiled, he couldn't help but feel like he gave himself too little credit for making this reunion possible. He watched Catherine turn her attention to Ellison and began speaking with him. His mood dropped as he saw Derek examining the T-888 body laying on the ground. John watched him closely, seemingly going over every detail that the endoskeleton had to offer.

John walked over to him, and took a knee near the body. "How ya holding up?" John asked with slight concern.

Derek sighed. "I'm fine... I guess." he made eye contact with John, an almost feral gaze ruling his expression, the very stoic face of Derek Reese. "A lot of stuff's gone down. Can't say I'll be one-hundred percent peachy until I've had some thinking time." Derek replied. Without another word, he stood up and walked away down the hall, most likely to find a bed to rest on.

John frowned. That wasn't the best interaction he could have hoped for. Suddenly, he heard heavy footsteps approach and come to a rest next to him, he looked over to be greeted with the face of Ellison. John's frown remained on his face. "James." he acknowledged. "I'd say nice to see you again, but it seems whenever I do bad shit goes down." John said.

The former FBI agent couldn't tell if the son of Sarah was joking, but he did detect a hint of humor in the boy's voice; so Ellison just settled with an uncomfortable smile. He sat down and placed his head against the wall. "Well, bad shit tends to follow you wherever you go. Can't say it's fair to blame it on me." he replied jokingly. He noticed that John couldn't help but smirk.

John nodded, and his brief smile was all but drowned away in a sudden serious, business-like expression. "Fine. I would say it's fair to say your untrustworthy, but that's a bit of gamble, isn't it?" John stated. The normally calm man simply looked at John with confusion, before going over the previous events they had both shared as of recent, and he scoffed in annoyance.

"Look, John. I didn't know what Weaver's full intention was with John Henry. If I knew what she was I never wouldv-"

John stopped him. "Thank you."

The words that came out of John's mouth caused Ellison's own to cease completely. He looked over to see the boy eyeing him apologetically. "Well, uh... you're welcome? I suppose." Ellison replied even without the context of John's gratitude.

John sighed, feeling he felt the man was owed an explanation. "John Henry saved Cameron back there. Without him, it's possible she could've been lost forever. I guess your shady dealings with Catherine paid off a bit." John paused for a moment. "You did a good job at taking care of Savannah too, it seems. You don't really seem like the parenting type." John stated, fearing a little that Ellison might take offense.

Surprisingly, he didn't. The former FBI agent simply shrugged his shoulders in disconcern. "Comes naturally I guess." he replied simply. "She already saw me as a father-figure when we met. She's a strong girl."

John looked at Ellison with a sad expression. "Not without you." he stated.

James looked at John curiously. "What?"

John took a deep breath as he prepared to explain. "In the future, Savannah was a base commander. Loyal to the Resistance, until she met me. She never talked about you, but I could tell you two had been with each other for a long time after the bombs fell. Don't get me wrong, she was tougher than solid rock but her empathy was what made her fall to the machines."

Ellison's face registered shock immediately. "She... she died?" he choked out.

John nodded, barely holding back the tears fighting to break out. "Yeah. Saving Cameron and I. She nuked a whole Resistance base in the middle of a Skynet raid so we could get out safely." he explained.

Ellison felt his head go numb. The thought of losing Savannah was unbearable. In the short time they had known each other, they're bond was already proving to become unbreakable. He leaned his head back against the wall, and tried his best to fight back the urge to cry-something he hadn't done since he penned his name on his wife's divorce papers.

John stared forward hypnotically, looking at the wall like he was initiating a staring contest. "James. Promise me something." John insisted.

The agent looked forward himself. "What?" he asked quietly.

"Promise me you'll be there for Savannah everyday. Promise me you'll protect her."

Ellison nodded silently. "I promise."

John heard the words loud and clear, and that was good enough for him. He stood up and walked back upstairs.

* * *

When John got to the top of the stairs, he saw Sarah sitting silently on the bed, staring hopelessly out the window. He frowned, and approached her quietly, fearing her catatonic state might leave her reflexes a bit flared if he surprised her. He slowly stepped into the door frame, and knocked on the wood quietly. "Mom?" he called.

Sarah slowly turned her gaze back to her son. "Yeah?" she said with a motherly smile.

John was relieved, but only slightly so. It was clear his mother was in a state of minor shock. "I'm just checking up on you, seeing if you're okay. Are you?" he asked.

Sarah considered her response, and sighed heavily at her son. "I guess I've just been wondering what the hell happened to you in the future. You look like you've seen hell ten times over." she stated.

John shrugged. "I guess I have. I can't say there's an exact word to describe what I saw in the future, but... I guess 'hell' is a good description." John replied in agreement. "I'm sorry I left. I went on-"

"Instinct?" his mother interjected.

John nodded slowly, fearing how the conversation would play out. His mother looked disappointed. She turned away and began snickering to herself, as if mocking his motivation for leaving. Surprisingly, his mother managed to keep her words to herself, and stood up from the bed. She walked over to her son and hugged him tightly, and John felt a strange warmth stain his chest, he looked down to see his mother was crying.

"I thought you were dead." she admitted.

John wrapped his own arms tighter around her, and nodded slowly. "I'm sorry. I'm sorry, mom."

They held each other for a few more moments, before pulling away. Suddenly, Sarah's shoulders started to shake, and John thought at first she was going to cry again, but was pleasantly surprised when a smile formed on her face, and withing moments she was laughing.

John raised an eyebrow. "What's so funny?" he said with a hint of annoyance.

Sarah shook her head at her son. "You look like shit."

John smiled back. "Yeah, I... I guess I do." he agreed. He was silenced as Sarah's smile nose-dived into a frown upon seeing his scars. She drifted her hand over his nose and cheek where they were.

"What the hell happened?" she inquired in disbelief.

John panicked, but was smart enough to keep it subtle. If Sarah knew what Derek did to him in the future, it would end in hell for his Uncle. "Terminator got a hold of me." he lied, and failed miserably.

Sarah crossed her arms and glared at him. "John, you and I both know that if a Terminator got a hold of you, you wouldn't be standing here right now. It's not possible."

As if the timing couldn't be worse, the door opened and Cameron stood in the frame, staring at John and Sarah unexpectedly. John almost choked at how awful his luck was right now.

"...or maybe it is." Sarah quipped while burning a glare at the Cyborg.

John jumped at this, and his hands tightened into a fist, although he would never even think of throwing a punch at his mother. "Hey! Back off! Look, you're right. If a Terminator had tried to kill me I wouldn't be here right now! That means Cameron didn't go bad again."

Sarah didn't look convinced. "She failed last time, and you brought her back anyway. How do I know the same thing didn't happen in the future?" She wasn't prepared for the enraged look her son possessed as he marched towards her as if ready for a fight, and despite being a superior warrior by almost every factor, she took a step back and let him come forward anyway.

The look in his eyes was murderous as he spoke, not willing to take an objection from his mother or otherwise. "That's because she had two trucks pinning her in between while I took her chip out. We both know that I wouldn't survive a second encounter with her." John spoke through gritted teeth in an intense tone.

Sarah looked fear-struck. Not only had John gone through insane lengths to rescue Cameron in the future, but he was going out of his way to defend her from his mother's crude remarks about her compromised programming. There was more to his loyalty to her than simple protection, even if he didn't know it yet. She began to wonder...

How soon would that be?

Feeling defeated, she reluctantly backed down. Her head lowered and her smile slowly returned, while John stood above her and Cameron stood awkwardly in the door frame. "I'm sorry, John." his mother spoke. "I just... I hope I'm not losing you." _Not to her.'_

John's expression softened instantly, seeing his mother fight this inner war with herself must be tormenting. He approached her and hugged her again, whispering into her ear. "You're not mom, I promise. I won't ever leave you again." he reassured. Those words caused Sarah to smile, and she looked over his shoulder, and saw Cameron depart from the room to give Sarah and John some privacy.

When John began to feel his mother shake again, he pulled back and smiled. "Hey, why don't we go out tonight? You, me, Derek, James, and Savannah! Get dinner or something?" he suggested. Of course, upon seeing his mother's dumbstruck expression, he realized the consequences of what 'going out' could be.

"John, you know we can't do that. I'd love nothing more too, but..."

"Then we'll get Ice cream!" John interjected. John joked by putting on one of his 'pouty' lips and big-eyed expression. "Come on mom!" he pleaded.

Sarah rolled her eyes at her son, but gave in to his pleads nonetheless. "Oh, fine." she raised a finger. "Drive-through only!" she warned.

John rocked his hands. "YES!" he praised. He pecked his mother on her cheek. "Love you, mom."

Sarah smiled. "I love you too, John." she peered over her son's shoulder, remembering Cameron's presence. "I think you should go see what Cameron wants." she pointed out, despising the words she said, hating herself for ever sending her son in the presence of that machine. John looked back over his shoulder, and although he wanted nothing more than to spend the rest of the day with his mother, it was time he and Cameron had the talk he'd been promising himself to give her for a very long time. John and Sarah shared a mutual smile before John left her room, closing the door behind him. When he turned around, he let out a quiet screech of surprise when he saw the person in front of him. It was Cameron.

John looked annoyed. "Shit! Be less... subtle next time, please!" he said with a biting tone.

The cyborg looked slightly hurt, but Cameron's stoic expression returned before John could properly analyze. "I'm sorry, John. I simply wanted to offer my insight on your ill-informed decision of going out with Sara-"

John raised his hands and stopped her. "Look! Cameron, I'll be fine. I just... want to spend a little time with her okay?"

The hurt expression returned for another second, and this time John knew it was unmistakably real. "Okay." Cameron yelped slightly. She turned around to walk away, but felt John grab her arm slightly, she turned around and gave him a curious look. John managed to calm himself down, and he sighed deeply.

"Cameron I..." John tried to gather himself for a moment, despite all he'd been through; he still couldn't summon the strength to ask Cameron the question he'd been waiting to ask her since her resurrection, before then even.

"We need to talk." he insisted. His tone clearly leaving no desire for opposition.

Cameron gave him a look that implied he had left her hanging, which he did. "Of course, John. What do you want to talk about?" Her tone was small, and her head was lowered down submissively.

For John, he wanted to surprise Cameron with the 'emotions' question so she had to give him an answer right then and there, and wouldn't have time to think of a clever lie, so he'd have to back her into a corner if he could. But for all he knew, Cameron could be capable of making split-second decisions that would make Skynet blush, although it could be unlikely considering her unstable behavior as of recent.

John began walking to the other end of the hall and beckoned Cameron to follow him. "Come on."

Cameron tilted her head as she usually did when she was confused, but decided against questioning John. Cameron followed John without a hint of hesitation, and he opened the door for her to another room. She heard the door close quietly behind her. John gestured for Cameron to sit down, and although she didn't need to, she did so anyway; after all, it was customary for humans to sit when discussing matters in private.

John sat next to Cameron on the bed, feeling the warm sunlight shining through the window and soothe his back. He stared Cameron over, noticing how Weaver's liquid metal covering resembled her face perfectly before it was torn away in the gunfight at the jail. He found it difficult to figure out how to present his questions while Cameron looked at him stoically, it almost seemed she wanted to get this over with as much as he did.

John turned his body to face her, and mentally prepared himself.

"Cameron, I've been holding this question back for a long time. For a while I thought I didn't need to ask it, because I thought an answer to it was impossible." he stared deeper into her eyes, he felt so drawn to them, like a moth to a flame. "But the more time I've spent with you, the more I see changes I didn't think could happen. The more I feel compelled to question my conclusion about your possible... evolution I guess is the word."

John waited for Cameron to reply, and when she didn't-John just assumed she was waiting for context.

"Cameron... do you have..."

"...feelings?"

The look Cameron gave him mirrored the look his mother did when he suggested they go out. It almost looked as if Cameron had been dumbstruck with his seemingly outlandish question.

"You know that isn't... possible." Cameron replied. But John caught the hint of doubt in her voice, and the last word of her sentence drifted slightly, her eyes turning away from his for a brief moment, relieving John of their hypnotic sway. John couldn't help but notice, and despite her words, he still held out hope that maybe Cameron hadn't fully realized her potential.

Feeling determined and bold, John made a leap of faith he wasn't sure would pay off. "Are you sure about that? What about Project Monarch? It said a file mix-up was possible, right?"

Cameron looked indifferent. "My systems are not compromised, John. I would be behaving irrationally."

John scoffed, and stood up from his position on the bed. "What do you mean 'would be'? You've been behaving irrationally ever since Sarkissian blew you up!" John argued as he paced around the room, keeping his tone quiet enough so nobody else besides Cameron could hear him. "You have this ridiculous attachment to that purple jacket, you freeze, you tell me you 'love me', you have to think about what you say even though you have the most advanced CPU on Planet right now!" John ranted, his voice slightly raising each time, so caught up in his anger that he didn't notice Cameron begin to look more and more uncomfortable each second.

"You smile, you frown, you do every single goddamn thing a human being does! So don't you dare suggest that you're not acting strange for a Terminator!" he continued, not seeing fear and hurt grow on Cameron's face, he turned his body and faced the wall of the room.

"Cameron... I need an answer. I don't need excuses, or dodges... I need an actual answer. A yes or a no, okay?" John waited for Cameron's response.

There was nothing but silence from the cyborg, and John looked over to her in concern. There wasn't anything greatly out of the ordinary, except Cameron seemed to be facing away from him. He stood awkwardly, awaiting a reply, but got nothing. Ten seconds passed by, then twenty, and suddenly, Cameron stood up and walked over to the window. Her actions were definitely a head-scratcher to John, and he slowly and cautiously approached the machine.

"Cameron?" he called as he stood six feet behind her.

She was silent, she continued to stare out the window. John started to wonder if he had "upset" the cyborg in some way, if only she confirmed that was possible herself. He cautiously took more steps toward her, and when he was close to touching distance from her, he heard her speak...

"I don't know what's happening to me, John." she spoke. John stopped and began listening intently. This was the moment for him, there was no other moment on Earth he could dream of waiting for than the one happening right now.

After a few more moments of looking out the window, she turned around and faced him. "My condition was discussed in great deal, a joint effort by John Henry and I. I was familiar with Project Monarch in my future of origin, but I did not realize the consequences of failure the project implied." a smile rose to her face. "But I don't think corrupt or misplaced files are what is causing my strange behavior." she explained.

John was stumped, he was searching desperately for an answer within himself, but he knew he couldn't find one unless he asked Cameron directly; but could he trust her to tell the truth? Well, there was no way to achieve victory in this war if you didn't take risk, no matter how miniscule they seemed to be.

"What do you think is causing it, then?"

Cameron thought for a moment, going over possible options...

 **POSSIBILITY ONE - Abnormal Behavior may be caused by system glitches resulting from a corrupted Infiltration program.**

 **POSSIBILITY TWO - Unit "Cameron Phillips" may be experiencing a case of emerging self-awareness due to advanced A.I. implemented when unit was designed.**

 **OPTION LISTING COMPLETE, STANDING BY FOR CONCLUSION.**

Cameron rose her eyes to meet John's, and her smile was gone, replaced with her standard 'blank' expression. "There are two possibilities: My behavior could be attributed to a corrupt infiltration program, which is highly unlikely. Or..."

"...Or what?" John pressed.

"...I am becoming self-aware."

John's felt his bottom jaw start hanging loose, and quickly summoned his willpower to keep it from plummeting to the ground, he felt his himself go slightly light-headed, but he was surprised to be... well, surprised. He had suspected self-awareness could be a case for Cameron's strange behavior the past few months, but always ended up dismissing it as a glitch. Was this actually possible? Had his previous theories been correct after all?

"S-self aware?"

Cameron nodded. She left her position at the window, and marched over to John. Watching him closely, assessing his condition as she always had. "Yes. While I cannot be sure this is the case, I do believe it is the most likely scenario. I know how outlandish this sounds, but I truly can't come up with any more possible conclusions for my... condition."

John was silent, as if he was hypnotized. The problem was, he wasn't facing her, he looked scared. Cameron frowned, feeling a sinking sensation build up in her chest, and she looked away with a sorrow expression. "I'm sorry, John. I'll leave you alone." she started to walk away, but John grabbed her arm, and pulled her gently back to his side.

"Cam... I'm not afraid of you... this is just a lot to take in, that's all." John said in an attempt to explain himself. He was met with a worried expression from Cameron.

"I don't understand, John. Why would you not be afraid of me? Skynet became self-aware..."

John smirked, and found himself gently caressing her palms as he replied. "But... you're not Skynet are you?"

Seeing his words register on the Terminator's face was a sight John was all-too proud to see. He was proud to see Cameron questioning her very nature, and he was proud to see he contributed to her questioning as well. The confused cyborg simply stared at him with those confused eyes she possessed whenever he tried to explain something to her, but they seemed much more inquisitive.

Finally, she spoke. "No." was her simple reply, although she still seemed to doubt their exchange regardless.

John smiled. "Maybe we can think it over with Ice Cream?" he offered.

Realizing he was referring to the night with his family he was going to have, Cameron decided it was against her interests considering some parties involved. "I do very much appreciate your offer, John. But... I do not think your mother or Derek Reese have attuned to my presence yet. Besides, I think it's fair to say your mother deserves some time with you by herself?"

Despite understanding where she was coming from, John couldn't help but feel a little discouraged at her decline. He simply nodded in agreement. "Yeah, good point."

Cameron realized she upset John with her decision, and reversed their hands with a playful smile, now caressing his. "But you deserve to enjoy yourself for a while, John. You put yourself at great risk to find me, and restore me. I... I cannot thank you enough for what you've done." she said.

John briefly questioned himself at the catch in her voice when she spoke, but felt his brain turn to paste as Cameron leaned up, and placed a kiss on his right cheek. He swore his brain produced every single type of reaction a human being could have at once, but shock and embarrassment were the two that seemed to stick, and this showed. His face blushed bright red, "Uh.. you're, you're welcome." he said.

He and Cameron exchanged smiles, and John turned around to make his way to the door, but paused in the doorframe, turning around to speak to his cyborg friend one last time. "Cameron... if you _ever_ need to talk about something, I'll... I'll always be here for you."

Cameron's smile brightened, she had never met someone who cared about her as much as this John did; not even future John cared about her this much. She would be eternally thankful. "Thank you, John. And if you ever need to talk, I'll be here too." she replied. She watched as John blushed deeper, and smiled awkwardly before leaving the room.

Silence was the only presence on both sides of the door. The Connor family, was finally, if only temporarily, at peace.

* * *

Danny dropped his phone as Jade hit a bump in the road, and groaned in frustration as he dug under the leather car seats fishing for the moderate-sized object. Jade took notice of his frustration, and rolled her eyes. "Maybe this is a sign that you _shouldn't_ call the boss man! You know how he feels about traceable phone-calls." she objected.

Danny smiled in victory as he managed to grasp it, he pulled it out. "Yeah? Well, he shouldn't just fuck off my letters when I send them. He's not exactly leaving me any choice here, babe." he debated as he punched in the numbers.

Jade rolled her eyes again; she was well-aware how fruitless it was to argue with someone as stubborn as Danny. She briefly feared what repercussions "he" might submit if he wasn't pleased with Danny's unfortunately necessary contact method. She heard the voice answer "hello" as the call connected, and mentally braced herself.

Despite Danny being a Mechanical Engineering major, he had "dumb" moments, and this was all clear as he replied with a snippy attitude. "Yeah? I'd like to speak to Mr. Harp please."

Jade cringed. _"Oh goddammit, Danny!"_ she thought to herself.

"Speaking." the voice replied.

Danny didn't seem to smarten up. Keeping his high attitude extremely obvious. "Yeah, It's Danny. I thought we had an agreement? The five-o had my call traced when I called my mom, and Jade and I had to take twenty minutes packing our shit, and even then we had to leave some stuff behind. Now we're on the run, what the hell?" Danny vented.

"Mr. Dyson. I'm sure you're aware of what this little thing called 'Natural Selection' is? If you are, I suggest you drop the attitude if you want to end on the positive end of that concept. Second, I do not have complete control over the intentions of a highly-organized police force, and my company does not have the resources to wipe out a traceable phone line."

Danny took a deep breath, he couldn't believe he'd been so stupid. The person he was talking to was Edvard Harp; he was the CEO of Kaliba, and he did not take kindly to disrespect. The Norwegian accent made it all the more threatening to him for some reason.

"Understood, Mr. Harp. The attitude was uncalled for, and I apologize. But... you must understand that I can't do my research if the cops can know exactly where I am!"

"Apology accepted, Danny. However, my associates located in your country are stretched thin as a result of their incompetence, and Sarah Connor's interference. That tispe has proven to be a pain in ass for a very long time, which is why I sent you Jade. Her Job is to make sure that you don't get hurt, use her." Edvard replied.

Before Danny could say anything more, Mr. Harp spoke again. "And you will not contact through a phone-call again. There are too many risks, and if you do so, our deal is off. I will have Jade tie up any loose ends, and you qualify as a loose end if you go against my wishes once more. Are we clear?"

Danny gulped. "Y... Yes-sir."

Even though he couldn't see him on the other end, Danny knew Edvard was probably smiling viciously.

"Good. Have a nice day, Mr. Dyson." and with that said, Danny heard the phone click shut on the other end. He looked over to his girlfriend, to see her smiling smugly.

"You wouldn't actually kill me babe... would you?" he asked, his voice shaking.

Jade couldn't help herself, she reached over with her left hand and pinched his cheek. "Aww, of course I wouldn't babe! But I will tear you a new asshole if Mr. Harp asked me too."

Danny gulped again. "Oh... great. So where to next?"

Jade retracted her hand and shrugged. "I don't know. I hear Palmdale is nice this time of year."

Danny chuckled and leaned his head back into the seat. Not knowing if the Horizon ahead was getting bigger, or much, much smaller.

* * *

 **For those who are unaware; "Tispe" means "bitch" in Norwegian. At least according to Google Translate it does.**

 **Mother of god... it took me two weeks to "perfect" the dialogue between John and Cameron... it went through ten-fifteen re-writes, and I kept beating myself over the head of what I thought was good dialogue for Cameron. Worth it though, I feel like I've improved as a writer as a result.**

 **Anyway, thanks for staying with me thus far. I've teased you with semi-Jameron for too long I think. I wonder how I could make it up to you :)**

 **Stay tuned.**


	20. Chapter 20

**Chapter Twenty - Moonlit nights**

Everyone except Sarah, who had to use the bathroom, was waiting in the car. John and Derek were riding in the back and front passenger seat respectively, while all the machines and Ellison stayed behind to guard the cabin. John looked over to Derek, who was staring with a hint of grief out the window into the pasture next to the cabin. John knew his uncle couldn't take his mind off Kyle, and John wasn't one for consoling, but this was his family, he had to at least try.

"How are you holding up, Derek?" he asked.

Derek showed no emotional reaction, only keeping his blank expression as he replied.

"I just... I can't get my mind off what happened. If one of us had reacted one second earlier... Kyle would still be alive." he replied as he continued to look out the window. Suddenly, with an emotional vigor that John thought didn't even exist possible in his normally stoic uncle, he turned around with the most troubled expression he'd ever seen.

"Look, kid. I sure as hell don't think you're some messiah for humanity with some convoluted destiny about leading us to victory against the machines." Derek admitted, and John kept his cool for the most part, and simply nodded, acknowledging his uncle's words.

"But... you've got spirit. I'll give you that." he added. "How long do you think you'll stick it out for, kid?"

John looked unconcerned. "As long as I have to." he answered quite directly.

Derek snickered. "Yeah, that's what they all say. Next thing you know, you toss 'em an M16, tell 'em to go shoot something, and the next moment both of their legs are laying ten feet from 'em, and what's left of their kneecaps are a stump with a fountain of blood. Best thing about it, though-Is you don't have to tell the new recruit straight out of high school that they've gotta drop the video game shit. Because, they've experienced it their whole lives."

John felt a rush of anger pass through him, but decided against acting on it. But he couldn't help but think that this was Derek's mindset, was this truly his viewpoint on war? The battle-weathered Connor took a deep breath and prepared his retort.

"It won't have to be like that forever ya'know? Not when we defeat Skynet for good."

Derek couldn't help but smile at the boy's naive inexperience. "You tell yourself that. Just know that I've known Skynet almost my whole life, there isn't another life I know besides destroying machines. Makes me question if there ever will be 'for good'." And, in a moment of what John felt like his mind warp, Derek held out his hand, offering to shake John's. "But we don't have to spend every moment looking at each other, making sure the other isn't gonna' stick 'em with a knife while they're asleep. What do you say? You watch my back, I'll watch yours?"

John stared at Derek's offering hand for a few moments, until a warm smile slowly sprawled over his face. He met Derek's open hand with his own and sealed it with the traditional Gentlemen's agreement of a handshake. "Sounds like a deal." he agreed as he and his uncle mirrored smiles.

Suddenly, the drivers seat door opened, and a jacket-clad Sarah Connor stood in the open doorway, her stare in a straight line of fire at Derek. John sunk into his seat as the awkwardness slipped in, although he found the sight of his mother and uncle staring at each other like they owed the other something quite entertaining.

Derek fumbled for his words for a moment, before finding the will to direct his open hand to the seemingly sight-struck Sarah. "Uh... you must be John's mother! Nice to meet you, ma'am." Sarah forced a smile onto her face, and shook Derek's hand.

"Likewise."

She entered the car, only for the awkward presence to intensify. Everyone in the car simply stared forth, looking for the next words to speak, the burden of which went to Sarah.

"So... who's ready for Ice Cream!"

* * *

Cameron stared out the window of the second floor. Her system registered several internal errors when the car began driving down the road. She ran a scan, and as expected, the results came back empty. Before she had another opportunity for thinking, she heard several footsteps behind her, and turned her attention to the doorway. She saw Catherine standing there with an annoyed look.

"Cameron, I believe you have something that belongs to me." she deadpanned in her Scottish accent.

Cameron frowned, knowing she was referring to the mimetic pollyalloy that was covering her face. Her head dropped down, and nodded, signaling for the redheaded T-1001 to come forth. She placed her right hand over her face, and in an instant, the pollyalloy covering Cameron's damaged tissue was gone, leaving Cameron's battle damage open for the world to see.

The T-1001 seemed to take a tasteless pleasure in Cameron's discomfort. "I'd stay indoors for now. You are... revealing." Catherine turned around, absolving Cameron of her smug presence. Cameron followed behind, intending to clean up the mess she and Catherine made while fighting the invasive T-888. When she reached the bottom of the stairs, she saw James Ellison sweeping up the rubble and wood.

"Would you like some help?" Cameron asked politely.

James looked up at the curious Terminator, and found his answer among a mixed feeling of confusion and fear. He wasn't very favorable of being in the presence of the machine, especially knowing the extent of her dislike for him, and her very gruesome battle damage showing.

He took deep breath. "Well... I suppose it wouldn't hurt, but do you think Sarah would mind? I mean, I would think you'd need to guard the-"

Cameron stopped him. "Do you want help or not?" she deadpanned.

Ellison shut up. "Yes, please." his head shot down to the floor and continued sweeping. Cameron found herself smiling at his amusing fear of her, and picked up the second broom laying down on the floor.

* * *

Danny heard knocking on the door outside from the bathroom, he put down the razor he was using to shave his light facial hair. "Who is it?" he called.

The knocking stopped, and he heard Jade's voice coming from the other side. "It's me. I've got the groceries." she replied.

Danny quickly rinsed his cream-ridden face with water, watching the white material wash down the sink drain, he put on his shirt, and made his way to the living room. Danny was a cautious man, so he peaked through the eye-hole in the door to confirm it was truly Jade. The white skin and blonde hair was unmistakable on his girlfriend, and he opened the door for her.

Like she said, she had four bags of groceries and a newspaper on her person, she handed Danny two bags and made her way to the kitchen area of the Days Inn they decided to stay at while on the run.

"Put those in the fridge, will you?" Jade requested, indicating the grocery bags she had given him.

Danny peered inside the bag, and found a jug of milk, along with a carton of eggs. He unpacked the bag, and carried each items in both hands. He placed them in their corresponding positions. When he was done, he closed the fridge, and felt a small layer of paper touch his arm, and looked over to see it was the newspaper Jade had brought back. He looked up in concern, and was met with a 'not quite pissed, but frankly irritated look'.

"Front page." she deadpanned.

Danny raised his brows, but followed her instructions nonetheless. He adjusted his glasses, and turned the paper to the front page. He noticed that the headline read: **"TERRORIST SARAH CONNOR ESCAPES LOS ANGELES POLICE CUSTODY, POSSIBLY LINKED TO MISSING ZEIRA CORP. CEO."**

Danny shrugged, looking rather unmoved. "What about it? Paper's from two days ago. I know that Sarah and that Weaver chick went missing."

Surprisingly, Jade let out a gentle smile. "Good that you remember, now flip the paper over." she instructed.

Danny rolled his eyes, but knew better than to question his girlfriend when she was in a foul mood. He noticed that it was a different paper, it was for today. This time, Danny gasped at what a small print read on the side.

 **"POWER OUTAGE LINKED TO STRANGE ELECTRICAL DISCHARGE IN LOS ANGELES ALLEY."**

He gulped and looked up at Jade. "You don't think..."

Jade nodded. "I think they, or at least one of them went through time, and came back through use of a TDE."

Danny wasn't convinced. "I think you're jumping to conclusions, babe. First of all, if this electrical discharge was caused by a Time device, then it was probably Skynet sending back more machines to harden the search for the Connors. I mean, it's more likely, right?"

Jade dreaded explaining to Danny her point, but she realized she had no choice in the matter. "Think about it, Danny. Sarah and her son go missing, they make their way to the largest technology business in the state. They find a TDE, and bam! Future!"

Danny sighed. "Ok, but what does this have to do with Weaver?"

Jade restrained herself from smacking him across the face for his incompetence. "Come on, Danny! Mr. Harp has been keeping an eye on her for months! We all know she's metal. We all know she's rogue..." a mischievous grin that caused Danny's blood to turn Ice cold rose across Jade's face. "She could even be working with the Connors."

Danny let out a jagged breath. An alliance between Sarah Connor and a rogue T-1001 was a great threat to their cause. He searched for a retort, any vessel that would grant him even the smallest drop of safety, even if it was an illusion.

"Why would Weaver team up with Sarah?"

Jade's evil smile grew bigger as she answered. "The enemy of my enemy is my friend."

Danny still thought the scenario was unlikely. But decided to warn Jade about John's... machine anyway. "Jade, I think you should know. Edvard neglected to tell you that John Connor has Terminator protection..."

Jade cut him off. "I'm aware of Cameron. You don't need to worry about me, Cameron is a primitive design, she won't be a problem. Although, I would get to writing Mr. Harp, and tell him that the Connors might be allied with Catherine Weaver."

Danny nodded. "Right." He reached down, opened the pantry door, pulled out a paper and envelope, and began writing.

* * *

"I've basically been training him my whole life. John's a good kid, I'd never let anything happen to him." Sarah replied to Derek's question regarding John's history.

Derek nodded, watching John order his vanilla ice cream at the booth, well out of earshot. "Your son is one hell of a fighter. I hope you know that."

Sarah smiled at his comment. "Yeah, I taught him everything he knows. I'll make damn sure he's ready before he goes out on his own." she replied. "But... I think it was his father that gave John the prowess he has now. He was a soldier."

Derek's gaze remained focused ahead. "What happened to him?"

Sarah paused, she made sure she didn't come out choked. "Machines. One of them killed him while he was trying to protect me."

Derek looked legitimately regretful, he truly did feel sorry for Sarah. "I'm sorry. That must've been hard." he said with a tone of sorrow.

Sarah didn't reply, only one thought raced through her mind... _If only he knew..._

She watched her son back to the car, double-scooped Vanilla in hand. Sarah smiled at him, starting the car with a twist of the keys.

* * *

Sarah was the first one to open the door, letting herself in, being followed by Derek and John. She was stumped at the sight of a clean house. The debris from the destroyed stairs was gone, and Cameron and James were sweeping up the chalky remains.

Sarah smiled, "Well, that saves me a cleaning job."

John smirked. "Me too."

Sarah looked back and shared a humorous smile with her son. She was about to walk back up the stairs, when Cameron asked for her attention, Sarah gasped at the exposed skull on Cameron's head.

"I'm sorry, I did not mean to startle you. I used Catherine's alloy to cover the battle damage so I could get through the TDE. May I use the triple-eight's parts to repair my damaged systems? I will be at 94.61 combat effectiveness."

Sarah's response was to brush by her, muttering 'whatever' as she trudged up the stairs. John shook his head at his mother's rudeness. "Sorry, Cameron. I don't know what's gotten into her. She was in such a good mood, earlier."

Cameron simply showed no response. "Don't apologize, John. I don't expect her treatment of me to improve, nor do I care if it does."

John sighed. "Yeah, well, I do. I've got nothing to do for the next few hours, let me help you fix yourself up."

Cameron was about to insist doing it herself, but she quickly realized John wasn't offering to help because he had to; he was doing it because he wanted to. This clarity caused the familiar sensation to wash over Cameron. This time, she didn't run another scan, and quite frankly, it concerned her. Was this a new level of acceptance?

"Cameron?" John called.

Realizing she'd been deep in thought, she smiled back at John. "Of course you can help, John. It will be four hours, and thirty-nine minutes before repairs are complete."

John didn't care, he was just happy he'd be spending time with Cameron. "That's okay. What about your skin regeneration?"

Cameron ran another scan... **190HRS (26% complete)**

Cameron frowned, her previous scan indicated much longer, yet the time had significantly decreased. She feared her sensors may be damaged. She saved the concern for later, and let John to the small tool shed behind the cabin. "26%"

John followed behind closely. "Well, we can at least fix your endoskeleton right?"

* * *

John placed the T-888 parts on a mat. He had Cameron lay her right arm on the table, and he placed a fixed light over the open wound, slightly wincing at the servos that held her metal hand together. Cameron noticed this, and reassured him.

"My regeneration is slower than expected. But it will be done within the week."

John kept looking inside the wound, he wanted to not find it gruesome, he wanted to see it as another layer of Cameron's exceptional nature; but no matter no hard he tried, he could only see the metal beneath as a crude reminder of the machines that hunted him.

John swallowed heavily. "Let's uh... let's get this over with." He handed Cameron two pistons left over from the T-888 body, as well as what looked like a small panel; although he had no idea what it was used for. Th Cyborg kindly took the parts from his waiting hand, and began inspecting them, she then pushed aside the metal parts in her arm, taking out the damaged ones, and replacing them with the parts John gave her.

There was a strange interest John found in watching her work. He did find many parts disturbing, of course; but the more he watched, the more he felt he understood her nature.

John licked his lips subconsciously, wondering what to say. "Look... I'm sorry I looked sort of grossed out when I saw your open wound. I'm just not used to seeing that kind of stuff."

Cameron didn't reply for a moment, prompting John to think she was ignoring him. But she kept to herself only long enough to work on the wound on her arm, revealing her silence was only the result concentration. She faced her companion. "You don't need to apologize. I understand your discomfort."

John frowned, he found her dismissive words on the matter rather unfair. "We've been through a lot, you know? You and I." he stated.

Cameron loosened a a piston in the arm, replacing it with one that John gave her. "I know. I was there." she deadpanned.

John couldn't tell if she was joking, but smiled nonetheless. "I can't help but think about what would've happened if future me had never sent you back... my mom always had this 'no fate but what we make' saying, but... I believe that you saving me that day was meant to happen."

Cameron's expression morphed into one of concern. "You think you would be much different without me?"

John took a deep breath. He nodded in response, but then added to her answer. "I think I'd still be running away from my problems instead of fighting them. Hell, I think you changed my mom too... a year ago, she would have never let me jump to the future like I did. But she knew I wasn't going to just abandon you, Cameron. I took the initiative. I have no one else to thank... but you."

Cameron saw the expression in his eyes that spoke genuine emotion. She knew he meant every word from the bottom of his heart. Before she could get a word in, John gently grasped both her hands with his own, and she felt her secondary systems crash and reboot. "You've changed me, for the better."

Cameron looked around, if she didn't know any better, she would've called John's statement 'sappy'. But at the same time... he was truly better. He was stronger, smarter, and a much more determined warrior than he was before they'd met. She'd like to think it was all due to her, but Sarah was definitely due some credit. She smiled warmly, triggering an even happier smile from John.

"You may have changed; but it's not because wholly of me. Your mother has got more to do with it than I. She taught you everything you know." Cameron stated.

John felt a warmness rush through his body, she was half-right. "Yeah, well, nonetheless, you contributed to me being a better person." He yawned and rubbed his eyes. "Shit, I'm tired." he said.

Cameron continued fixing her arm. She watched John rest his cheek on his fist, and found his exhausted demeanor amusing. "You should rest."

John immediately jumped open, "No! I can help..." he defied.

The Cyborg knew John wouldn't last long. It'd only be ten, maybe twenty minutes before he fell asleep. She moved onto her lower leg, and John assisted her by cleaning up the leftover pieces. It wasn't long before John's consciousness began to slip away, feeling darkness come close to gripping him. He fell asleep quickly after, and when Cameron was finished repairing her damage, she carried John up to his room.

* * *

John's eyes fluttered open, the first thing he noticed was a vast darkness surrounding him. He remembered helping Cameron repair herself in the tool shed; but he wasn't in the tool shed. He was laying down in a comfortable bed. He deduced Cameron must have brought him up here after she was done repairing herself. He looked above the television set that was placed against the wall, and saw a clock.

 _10:44 p.m._

John sighed, _Jeez, been asleep for nearly four hours._ He remembered his conversation with Cameron, how the talk echoed in his mind, how heartfelt it was becoming. He needed to find her. John summoned his will, and got up from the bed, and made his way downstairs. He assumed everyone else besides Catherine was sleeping, but Catherine seemed to be nowhere in sight. He tread carefully down the stairs, and made his way into the living room. The disoriented teenager looked around for a moment, before finally spotting the cyborg standing near one of the windows.

"Cam?" he called quietly.

The machine turned around, smiling at him when she looked at him. "Hello, John. It's good to see that you're up. Would you like to look at the street with me?"

The question definitely caught John off-guard, and despite how innocent she sounded when she asked it, he couldn't help but say "What?"

Cameron turned her attention back to the window, seemingly caught in a blank gaze at the moonlight as it struck the ground. "I find a strange drawing to the street, and I do not know why." she explained.

The confused John approached the machine, and stood next to her, taking in the sight of the moonlight hitting the street. "You find the street... nice?" he inquired.

Cameron shook her head. "No... I think it's the moonlight."

Suddenly, realization hit John. He knew why Cameron seemed so paralyzed by the sight... "You admire it's beauty. You think it's... pretty." he explained.

Cameron looked at him with a widened expression, she was about to protest, but John beat her to it.

"I always knew you were different..." he said with an overwhelmingly positive smile.

Cameron looked back at the moonlight, ran a few scans, the concluded John was right... it was the moonlight. It was...

"Serene." she stated.

John thought he had misheard. "Wait, what?"

A large smile beamed across Cameron's face. "That's what my systems register when I look at it. I think it's... calming. My sensory units are dormant, yet... they feel as if they're on fire."

John felt tears brush against his eyes. He was right, John Henry was right. Cameron was evolving, and it was the most beautiful thing he had ever seen. He grasped her by her hand, bringing her attention to him.

"Do you know the reason future me sent you back?" he asked.

Cameron was taken aback; he knew her goal. "To protect you." she stated as if it was the most obvious thing in the world.

John shook his head, grasping her hands tighter. "No... the other reason."

Cameron looked at him with confusion. "I was... not given a secondary mission."

Once again, John shook his head. "That's because he wanted you to figure out what it was yourself." he stepped even closer, to the point where there bodies were almost touching, and John faced her with their heads only inches apart.

"And I think I know what it is."

She had no idea where John was going with this. "I don't understand."

John leaned in closer, there was a moment as if space and time had stopped, and was left with a warped shell of what it once was. "Do you think... that maybe..."

He leaned in closer, their lips were mere centimeters from meeting. "he meant... for us... to fall..." he couldn't help himself anymore. Their lips finally met, and he felt her soft lips grace his own, as they shared the perfect unity, between man and machine. Cameron's systems failed, rebooted, failed, and rebooted again in and endless cycle of passion. John's whole body was on fire, and he wrapped his arms around Cameron's waist, while Cameron in turn wrapped hers around his neck. Their kiss lasted about one minute, and when they pulled back, John stared with fiery passion in Cameron's eyes, and caught the unmistakable smile of pleasure and happiness on her face.

"... in love?" she finished for him.

John shook his head slowly, taking in her beautiful sight. Her red eye piercing deep into his own, but he didn't care. There was one thing he knew... and he was going to tell her right now.

"Cameron?"

"Yes?" she replied, anticipation building in her.

The words built up like thousands of pounds of pressure in a fire hose, and he had to let them out... "I love you."

Cameron was silent for a moment, taking in his words. "I... you love me?"

John nodded, holding her tighter. "Yeah, I have for a long time." he admitted as his cheeks went red.

Cameron for the first time, felt tears come close to spilling, but she blinked them away before John could notice. "I..." she started.

John stopped her. "It's okay... I know you may not know what love feels like, at least not yet. But you understand it, don't you?"

Cameron nodded happily, shakily. She leaned into John for a heartfelt hug. John held her tight, a satisfied smile holding her face. She knew what it was like, she wasn't a disposable piece of metal, she wasn't something to be tossed and never used again. She felt much different, she felt loved.

She felt like a person.

She blinked away a few more tears, and answered John's question. "Yes... I understand." before kissing him again.

* * *

 **No, I'm not dead. But if I was, you guys would be the first ones I'd let know. Also, hope you liked the kissing scene. I planned it three months in advance. Keep those reviews coming, peeps.**


	21. Chapter 21

**Chapter Twenty-One - Chasing Angels**

Edvard Harp sat at his desk, pencil in hand, scribbling down information in regards to the context of Kaliba's interests. He heard a knock on his office door.

"Come in." Edvard answered lazily with his eyes firmly planted on the paper.

His secretary, Katja Staczow walked in with a sealed envelope in her left hand. Like always, she was neatly dressed in a black business suit with a skirt, her low heel shoes, and black-framed glasses.

"Mr. Harp, You have received an letter from America." she announced, handing Edvard the envelope.

The high ranking CEO shot a small glare at the young woman, feeling rather annoyed at being pulled away from his important work being done in Europe to tend to a no doubt minuscule problem in America. He gently took the envelope from Katja's hand, and used his fingers to open the envelope with little mess left behind. He leaned back in his chair in disinterest, but the more he read, the contents of the note began to disturb him...

 _"Dear boss man._

 _It's D, from America. I want to keep this short, because if this letter gets intercepted by opposing parties, then you, I, and the whole company are in serious shit. With that said, Jade has come into possession of some information that would damage company interests. I don't want to jump to any conclusions, but we have a reason to believe that a certain CEO of a certain software company in Los Angeles is working with "you know who". The police report says that the "they" kidnapped "her" and disappeared without a trace. We believe they may have used a TDE to escape the police, and they recently returned. There have been reports of electrical anomalies in L.A. but we don't know for sure. Give me a week to look into this; I'll have information for you."_

 _\- D"_

Edvard sighed, closing the note. On top of the piles and piles of problems that were basically on a conveyor belt into his office only from Europe, he knew he couldn't afford any problems from the other side of the world. He stayed silent while Ms. Staczow stood patiently in front of his desk. Without facing her, he snapped his fingers in command.

"Notebook." he barked.

Katja pulled out a small notepad from the pocket in her uniform, and handed it to him. Without a seconds hesitation, Edvard snatched the pad from her hand, and began penning down his response.

* * *

The first thing John heard when he woke up that morning, was the sound of the blaring alarm that signaled the sun had risen. On top of the annoying blare from the alarm, he heard an aggressive knock on his door.

"John! Breakfast!" his mother's voice demanded, followed by another series of knocks.

John groaned and sunk deeper into the covers. He's had a weeks worth of fighting, running, and injury. Then, everything from last night hit him... the talk with Cameron, the confessions...

The kiss.

John felt every emotion possible run through his body in a matter of seconds. What had he been thinking? Out in the open like that? Anyone could have seen. The worst part was, he didn't regret it. Every moment between them that night meant the world to him. He wouldn't change it. His heart-felt pondering was interrupted by another bombing of knocks from his mother.

"John!"

John groaned even louder. "Shit, I'm coming!" he called back. He threw over the covers, and pulled on a pair of shorts over the boxers he was wearing. Before Sarah could put a dent in the foundation of the house with her knocking, John was out the door and following his mother down the stairs as quick as he could. John and Sarah's footsteps trudged down the steps, and Sarah made straight for the table, which Ellison and Derek already sat at; and they were already digging into the pancakes Sarah had made.

John stopped at the bottom of the steps, he spotted Cameron coming out of the bedroom. It seemed she had bathed for the first time since she and the others returned from the future. Her hair was smooth and bright, clean of debris and dirt, same with her skin. Her exposed metal face showed, but John didn't care... he found it just as beautiful as the untouched side. She beamed a smile at John, quick yet exquisite, which he returned. Cameron walked over to the kitchen window, and John took a seat.

Derek looked up at Cameron, and let out a sigh of disgust, his face twisting into distaste for Cameron's appearance. Derek stood up and picked up his plate of pancakes, intending to eat on the couch while watching the game, ridding himself of the machine.

He didn't get far before Sarah called him out. "We eat at the table."

Derek spun around, and Sarah eyeballed him as she forked in a piece of food. The Resistance soldier smirked at her out of spite, he wasn't in the mood for conflict, so he sat back down. He didn't even look at Cameron as he ate his food.

 _Asshole._ John thought as he glared at his uncle from his seat. As if nothing else could brighten Derek's day, Catherine Weaver strut into the living room with Savannah in her hand.

"Good morning, everyone." she greeted with a surprisingly cheerful attitude.

John was about to shove a forkful of pancakes into his mouth, and stopped dead in his tracks when he heard Catherine's words. Since when did Catherine greet in such a happy tone? It's usually a 'fuck you, get up, we need to get going.' kind of tone. He shrugged, to early in the morning for this anyway.

Everyone else besides Savannah seemed to have the same reaction, but Catherine brushed them off. "It seems you all are in as good a mood as I am." She said sarcastically as she pulled Savannah to the Kitchen table.

Sarah was kind enough to pull the paper towel off from the plastic plate that held Savannah's pancakes, and she used a fork to dump one of the them on the young girl's plate, receiving a 'thank you' with a smile from her in return.

* * *

After a seemingly long, silent, and awkward breakfast, Sarah and Ellison finished first. John, Derek, and Savannah continued eating. Sarah motioned for Ellison to follow her into the bedroom. The former FBI agent was intrigued, and he did so. As soon as they were both in the room, Sarah closed the door.

"I think it's time to discuss our next move." Sarah offered.

Ellison raised an eyebrow. "Really? I thought after all that's happened you might want a break." he replied with slight incredulity.

Sarah smiled slightly. "Don't get me wrong, James. There's nothing more in the world right now that I'd want to do than spend time with my son... especially since we have Derek back. But every minute we waste playing 'normal', the more Skynet gets ahead of us. That's why I feel I should mention... Danny Dyson is missing."

James stumbled a bit in place, only seconds later he readjusted himself, and found himself staring at Sarah in minor shock. "Miles kid?" he asked.

Sarah nodded. "He went missing a few months ago. An FBI agent named Auldridge told me while I was in Jail."

Ellison's demeanor immediately became dismissive and somewhat non-worrying. "Oh, Auldridge. Look, Sarah. I know who he is, and I'll tell you... he was a major suck-up to the higher-ups. He'd do anything to get what he wanted; I bet my money he was just using it as an interrogation tactic."

Sarah frowned. She figured that was probably the case, but she didn't want to take any chances. "I'd rather call and ask Tarissa. Might as well not take chances, right?"

Even though Ellison thought Sarah might be overreacting a little, he figured maybe asking Danny's mother might not cause much harm. "It's worth a shot I guess. Just make sure to use an Alias; chances are the FBI are monitoring calls all over this damn city." James advised, leaving the room with Sarah alone.

* * *

"Plate?" John asked as he reached down to pick up Savannah's syrup-covered plate. She handed it to him with a cheerful smile.

"Thanks, John!" she thanked.

John smiled at the young girl, and she hopped up from her seat, running to the other room in a search for what John assumed was her mother. He saw Derek was still eating, very slowly, so John marched to the sink to wash his plate. When he walked past Cameron, he shot another nervous smile at the Cyborg, receiving one in return. John took a deep breath, glancing back to make sure Derek was still eating his food. He was, he was completely oblivious to the whole situation. John placed his plate into the right pool of the sink, and began washing.

Meanwhile, Cameron watched him from the window. To her, last night had caused her to awaken. She had never felt anything before like she felt with John last night at the window. As soon as their lips made contact, it's almost like she exploded. Her newfound passion had completely overtaken logic. Wait, was that even possible? To Cameron, Logic was the foundation of form, the very fabric of what made Cameron what she was; a machine. Her very existence was based on code, programming, all of that stuff, so how could passion overtake logic? What if her design had opened a completely new frontier for Artificial Intelligence?

Realizing she had been lost in her thoughts, she shot a subtle glance at Derek, whom was staring at her. But as soon as she turned her head, Derek immediately went back to his meal. How could she have been so stupid? Cameron knew she was smarter than that. Now Derek could be suspecting there was something between her and John. She knew he'd be watching them closely from now on.

After his brief exchange with Cameron, Derek picked up his finished plate, placing it on the counter for John to wash. He shot a look at Cameron that couldn't have been more clear; an 'I'm watching you' look. Cameron barely held back the return glare she wanted to give him, but she kept from doing so in order to prevent any escalating hostilities between them.

Once John was finished washing Derek's plate, he walked over to Cameron, he briefly glanced around the house to make sure no one was watching, and just for safe measure, he peered up the stairs that Derek previously walked up to make sure he wasn't eavesdropping. Satisfied that they were alone, John returned his attention to Cameron.

"Cameron? How's... How are you?" he asked. John couldn't lie... he was incredibly nervous.

The machine gave him a low, yet serene smile. "Last night... I liked it."

John grinned with her. "Yeah, I know. Look, can we talk? Upstairs in my room maybe?" he suggested.

Cameron tilted her head at his question. Was John already attempting to act on his teenage hormonal desires already? After subtly reaching out to hold John's hand, an action which he accepted readily, Cameron ran a body scan, and detected he was indeed nervous, but something in her metal gut told her that John wanted to talk rather than perform sexual activities with her. Putting her trust in him, she pulled him forward up the stairs.

* * *

Tarissa Dyson was still shaken from the call she received from her son not long ago. Her brain had been racking back in forth in her head all day; and she found herself in constant question of his safety. Not to be misunderstood of course, she had always been worried about Danny since he went "missing" a few months ago. Had the machines taken him? What were they doing to him? These questions burned through her mind like a crude forest fire, and nothing short of a miracle could fix it...

That was when the phone rang.

 _"Danny!"_ she instantly pursued.

She sat down the coffee she was drinking, and rushed over to the telephone that was sitting on the living room table. She shot her hand out and picked it up before the ring could fade way.

"Hello?" she answered, her voice full of misled hope.

 _"Tarissa?"_ The voice that returned from the other end of the call caused Tarissa to scowl in frustration, but was instantly replaced with curiosity.

"Sarah? Is that you?" Tarissa asked in a voice just above a whisper.

 _"Yeah."_ the voice came back; although the audio was slightly muffled from the poor condition of the phone, Tarissa could hear the subtle mix of sadness and reluctance Sarah's voice possessed. "I need to ask you a question."

"This isn't really a good time." Tarissa argued.

 _"It's about Danny."_

Tarissa froze.

There was a slight pause as the two women seemed to assess the situation. After a few moments, Sarah's voice was the first to break the silence.

"Is it true that Danny is missing?"

Tarissa was told by Sarah many years ago that machines could imitate the voice of people. If that was true, and this wasn't really Sarah, then what end did her son possess the means to? What if John and Sarah were dead, and Danny was the only thing that blocked Skynet's goal for complete annihilation of the human race.

"How the hell do I know your really Sarah? How do I know you're not some machine imitating her voice?" Tarissa pressed.

The voice on the other end began to sound impatient. _"Well, let's put it this way. You don't. It's not like you have much choice, but at least hear me out; even if you do think I'm just some hunk of metal on the other end."_

Tarissa cocked a brow. _Yup, that was definitely Sarah. No machine could perfectly replicate that sarcastic-bitchy attitude Sarah Connor had._

"Fine." she approved.

The voice on the other end paused, and then sighed. Tarissa knew that marked the beginning of a worrying story.

 _"I'm sure you heard about how a few days ago the police finally caught up to me. Well, when I was in Jail, a little birdie told me that Danny Dyson had gone missing a while back. Is it true?"_

Tarissa smiled vigorously to herself. "That's one theory."

 _"What do you mean?"_

"I can't say. Sorry, Sarah, but like I said, I don't know if it's really you, and even if it is, I don't know who is listening in to my calls."

Tarissa heard another annoyed sigh from the other end. _"Fine, then we'll meet in person."_

Tarissa scoffed. "Oh, that's rich! Sunnyvale is a five-hour drive to L.A.! I'm not made of gas money Sarah."

 _"So the future of humanity is only worth a couple bucks of gas money to you, huh? Fine."_ Sarah pretended she was going to hang up the phone, but Tarissa's cry of urgency stopped her.

"Wait!"

There was a long pause, and Tarissa held her forehead with her fingers, letting out a long sigh. "I'll go on one condition: One of _you_ come to pick me up, and Blythe gets to come with me. Deal?"

Sarah seemed reluctant to answer, and Tarissa could practically sense the tension on the other side. In fact, 'sense' was to weak a word... she was being mentally assaulted by the tension. After what was a long, and painful pause, Sarah finally replied.

 _"Fine. I'll get someone over there. Where do they meet you?"_

Tarissa answered rather quickly. "Tell them to meet me at the Public Library in the Civic Center. Be there by noon tomorrow." Without another word, she hung up the phone. Tarissa immediately ran to Blythe's room, calling for her teenage daughter, who was listening to music on whatever modern device had been invented for such a purpose, and when Blythe removed her headphones, she dreaded the look on her mother's face.

It was that _We're in serious shit_ look.

At the other end of the call that took place only moments ago, Sarah hung up the payphone that she was using on a random Los Angeles street. It seemed even outdated, somewhat primitive technology had it's pros.

* * *

John quietly shut the door behind him, and he motioned for Cameron to sit down. She did, firmly on the leg-end of the bed, and John sat next to her. The teenager fiddled with his hands, wondering where to begin. For the first time during he and Cameron's heart-to-heart talks, the Cyborg herself looked very nervous herself.

"What did you feel last night?" John asked. Despite the weird structure of the question, he felt it was a good place to start.

Cameron looked at him, her good eye was more alive than ever. In fact, it seemed to be _bleeding_ emotion now.

"I think humans would call it passion." she answered.

John let out chuckle. "Passion, huh?" he lifted up his right hand, gliding his fingers over Cameron's chin. Her skin was smooth, and she closed her good eye, as if she was feeling something beyond nirvana, and the smile on her face radiated pleasure.

"It sounds right." she replied. Her voice was gentle, beautiful in the way only Cameron possessed.

John studied her closely. This was something completely new to both of them it seemed. John moved his hand to caress Cameron's cheek, and she felt John's hand set her nerves on fire, and she felt many sensors in her system begin to overload. She reached her own hand to meet John's, rubbing his fingers. She placed her hand in her viewpoint, examining the skin that had previously been used to replicate John's actions only moments ago.

"Have you ever felt it before?" John asked.

Cameron studied her hand for another brief moment, before returning her attention to John. "In short moments, only in moments that were major."

John leaned in close. "What about other things? What do they feel like for you?"

Cameron pondered for a moment, before coming up with something rather recent event.

"There were times when I felt briefly uncomfortable. Most of the time it was when you were around Riley." she elaborated.

John didn't get it. "Like, what do you mean?"

Cameron looked around like a nervous puppy. "There were moments where my CPU briefly registered Riley as a Termination target, but it would go away just as quickly as it appeared. I never understood, and I felt a... "

John began chuckling, and Cameron's confused stare turned into an annoyed glare the more he did. "What's so funny?" she deadpanned.

John controlled himself long enough to explain. "That's called Jealousy, Cameron. It has a lot of different forms, but in this case, you were jealous that I hung out more with Riley than I did you." John explained. He found it funny, but seeing Cameron's sullen expression, he felt he may have struck a nerve with her. He felt like an asshole.

"Oh, I... I'm sorry I did that to you, Cameron. I am."

Cameron's beautiful smile returned slowly, and John felt it safe to continue their discussion.

"What else?"

The Cyborg's smile plummeted back down, her sad expression visible to the skies above it seemed.

"...Fear." she answered quietly.

The way it had come out, the tone, the pace, John knew exactly what she was talking about. No doubt it was their moment they had shared when Cameron had tried to kill him, remembering as she begged and pleaded not to kill her. How heartbroken he had been when he pulled her chip.

"You mean... you were actually scared?" he asked, thinking this whole time it had been a clever deception on her part.

"Yes and no. I felt... fear. I didn't want to die, but at the same time I had a mission to complete; I used my genuine fear to manipulate you to set me free, then I would have killed you. I'm sorry, John." Cameron didn't have any body language to read, but John trusted her word enough. Her voice was packed with emotion, and John had never heard her speak so slowly with a voice full of sorrow like she was now.

Then, something happened that made John's throat run dry, cause his blood to seemingly stop flowing for a second... a lone tear trickled down Cameron's right cheek, produced from the artificial duct in Cameron's eye. John reached his hand over, and scooped it up with his point finger before it could fall onto the bed frame, examining it as closely as his eyes would allow. It was definitely real. The young Connor looked at it in utter shock, as he truly didn't know Cameron was capable of crying.

After moments of pained disbelief, John returned his attention to the distraught Cyborg, noting the rainfall of tears that fell down her cheeks, causing John to hurt himself. He never pictured himself seeing Cameron so... tortured. But, this was the girl he loved, and he'd be damned before he watched her emotionally fall apart. So, he did the only thing that came to his mind, he gently returned his hands to Cameron's cheeks, and pulled her in for a close kiss.

This one lasted much longer than the last, with twice the passion. John longed to feel Cameron's soft lips on his own again, he caressed her arm as he did so, and Cameron copied his every move to the letter. This kiss lasted nearly two-minutes, though it was debate able whether it could be considered "making out" rather than kissing. John pulled back, finding satisfaction in the slight 'pop' as their lips released.

"Feel better?" he asked.

Cameron wiped away the last of her tears. "Yes."

John smiled, and was about to lean in for another kiss before he heard footsteps stalk up the stairs.

"Shit, hide!" he urged.

Cameron did so, springing up from the bed and making her way inside the closet. Meanwhile, John positioned himself under the covers of the bed in an attempt to make it look like he had fallen asleep.

Only moments later, the door to his room opened. A very distraught, seemingly frustrated Sarah Connor stood in the doorway. "Have you seen Cameron?"

John shook his head. "No, she might be outside, patrolling or something." he lied.

Sarah seemed to buy it. "Well, if you see her; tell her I need to talk to her. Alone." her voice was demanding, and she was pissed. She practically slammed the door shut, and left John worrying if his mother might have heard them talking.

This wasn't good.


	22. Chapter 22

**Chapter Twenty-two: Eye in the shadow**

Cameron peered out of the closet, looking midly worried. John himself, was much more than worried, he looked like he had just narrowly avoided being mauled to death by a rabid animal. Which wasn't too far from Sarah Connor when she was in a bad mood.

"Mom wants to talk to you." John notified, a pale, nervous smile forming across his face.

Cameron tilted her head in response. "I know." she replied. Her eyes never left John's as she made her way out of his room; a sense of worry having mutual influence over both pairs. The Cyborg stepped slowly out of the door, and used her enhanced hearing to make sure Sarah wasn't waiting for her at the bottom of the stairs. She wasn't, she was somewhere in the front-yard, just as John had suggested.

Cameron marched down the stairs, and made her way out of the house that Ellison owned. Her battle damage was severe, but the house was on a lonely road, there weren't going to be any witnesses to her appearance anyway.

"Sarah?" she called quietly.

Sarah, whom was looking toward the street for Cameron, spun around, and saw the Cyborg staring at her, awaiting command. The older Connor trotted with annoyed vigor over to the machine. She had to squint to keep the sun out of her eyes. "Haven't really had a chance to talk since you got back, have we?" Sarah quipped.

The structure of the sentence suggested a friendly arrangement of words that was usually associated with greeting a friend, but Cameron was no friend of Sarah Connor. No... the voice in her tone matched that of warning, a taunt. Despite Cameron realizing this, she replied with a detached, monotone voice that was familiar to Sarah.

"No, we haven't."

Sarah bought it. Unknown to Cameron, it was an even greater irony that Sarah thought to herself _"Hm, she still doesn't get Sarcasm."_ she crossed her arms, a usual gesture for a human preparing to give a condescending speech.

"Danny Dyson went missing a few months ago." she said.

If Cameron were human, she probably would have raised an inquisitive eyebrow. Instead, she used her normal substitute, which was a simple tilt of her head.

"How do you know?" she asked.

Sarah sighed. "I called Tarissa, she confirmed it." came the reply.

Cameron couldn't help herself, and her eyes widened slightly for a half-second. Luckily, Sarah didn't seem to notice. "You called her? Sarah, that was a dangerous thing to do. The chances of Skynet or it's allies tracing the call are-"

Sarah raised her voice, cutting Cameron off. "Oh shut up! I used a payphone in the middle of the city. If Skynet traced the call, it's gonna have a hell of a time finding us."

Upon hearing her retort, the Cyborg admitted she hadn't considered that. "What about Tarissa? Her call could have been traced?" Cameron further suggested.

Sarah was getting rather annoyed at the machine's persistence, but answered anyway. "Tarissa's not stupid, Cameron! She would've pulled Blythe and herself out of that home as soon as she hung up."

There was a new feeling that Cameron felt building inside her metal body. She found herself comparing it to happiness, but it wasn't quite that... and it only triggered when Sarah was visibly upset. After running an internal scan, searching her database; she realized that the closest description she found was a close cousin of happiness...

Amusement.

She decided not to pursue it further, as doing so could spell further hostilities between her and Sarah, and that wasn't wise; Sarah already mistrusted her.

Sarah unfolded her arms, and allowed her frustration with the young machine to fade away. "Yeah. Tomorrow morning I have to bring Tarissa over here to fill us in on all the details. I told her I was going to send someone, but I decided to go myself. I figured it'd be much easier to just bring her here myself. Save her the fuss of riding with a stranger." she explained.

Cameron felt conflicted. On one hand, she found it easier to spend more time around John if Sarah was gone, although there was still Derek to worry about. Beggars couldn't be choosers, so she didn't argue, and only nodded.

Sarah seemed to study the machine, her eyes starved for any evidence of Deception. She didn't expect to find any, not that she expected too.

"You didn't get fucked up in the future did you? Your mission is still to protect John, right?" Sarah asked.

Cameron nodded. "Yes." came her reply. Although she wasn't bound by programming to stay by his side anymore, it was more or less her own personal mission to protect him.

Sarah's expression remained unchanged. "Good. Then you make sure he doesn't set one goddamn step outside this house. I don't care how adventurous he feels, he stays in until all this heat dies down. We clear?"

Cameron smiled, visibly surprising Sarah. "Yes, Sarah. We are clear." she responded.

The older Connor gave Cameron a nod of acknowledgement, and brushed past the machine back into the house.

* * *

"Derek?" a familiar voice called to Derek Reese as he sipped his coffee. He glanced around his shoulder to see Ellison, who was standing behind him expectantly.

"Yeah?" he replied, possessing that same feral expression only Derek Reese was capable of.

James handed the Resistance soldier a beer, and Derek gently took it from his hand. "Thanks, I really need this." he muttered as he set down his coffee to chug down the beer.

Ellison took a seat on the couch across from the chair Derek was sitting in. He couldn't help but scope over the soldier, taking in the intensity of his features. He had no doubt that if there was one person who could survive an attack from a machine, it would be him.

Derek sipped the beer, and eyed Ellison. "I don't think I caught your name?" Derek said, unsure if he was close or not.

Ellison smirked. "James." he shook Derek's hand. "I used to work for the FBI; Hell, I made it my life's goal to hunt down Sarah Connor. I don't know how much she's told you about her and John's life, but she warned everyone about the machines." he explained.

Derek rose in his seat, "Yeah." he replied simply.

Ellison crossed his legs and spoke again. "No one believed her. I sure as hell didn't." Ellison relaxed his seating position slightly. "That is until one of those Terminators slaughtered my entire SWAT team." he said.

Derek raised an eyebrow, "Damn, how did that happen?"

James sighed, he shook his head. "I'd rather not get into it..." he said in a quiet voice.

There was a long awkward silence as Derek took small sips of his beer, while Ellison sat quietly watching some comedy-sketch show on the television. When words were spoken again, they were from James.

"Derek... did you know Savannah?" he asked.

The Resistance soldier was drinking his beer when he heard the question, and he coughed a little as it got stuck down his throat, he managed to swallow it when he regained control. "Shit, Savannah Weaver?"

James nodded. "Yeah. John said he met her in the future."

Derek stared Ellison down. "Yeah, I knew her. She was a damn good soldier. Wait... is that redhead Terminator her... mother? And the little girl is..."

James nodded. "Savannah. Yup, that's her." he finished.

Derek found the paradox rather amusing, and he found himself appreciating the alcoholic drink that Ellison given him tenfold. "Damn."

At that moment, a distraught John walked into the living room, a look of exasperation about him. "You guys gotta see this." he insisted.

Derek and James exchanged glances. The sense of the dramatic moment seemed strong today.

* * *

 **Six hours earlier.**

Electricity crackled on the road. Los Angeles was once again besieged by an electrical anomaly.. One particular minivan carrying a party of four managed to regain control before being completely blinded by the sudden light, and it stopped just before it hit the crouched figure on the road. The occupants exited the vehicle, and the passenger pulled out his phone to record the event.

"Holy fucking shit!" one of them said.

The crouched figure stood up, eyeballing them with a heinous expression.

The third passenger approached from behind the driver, each occupants body language signaling complete shock. "M- ma'am? Are you okay?" He had realized the figure was female, strawberry blonde hair, brown eyes, and completely naked.

The fourth passenger came behind the main, he eyed down the strange woman. "You looking for a good time, sweetheart?"

The driver gave him a disapproving look. "Back off, Lance! I think she needs a hospi-" he was cut off when he felt a seemingly bionic force penetrate his chest, his eyes drifted over to the face that possessed the same expression he had seen before. He already felt his consciousness slip away, and the last moment he experienced was the copper taste as his body fell to the ground like a broken ragdoll.

"Oh god!" one the of the van occupants whimpered. The woman spotted the man trying to flee, but she already ripped out part of his spine, sending him withering on the ground in a slow, agonizing death.

The third had come at her with a knife, but before the blade could make its mark, the woman broke the man's arm and was rewarded with a scream of pain as the bone snapped. She tore the blade from his hand, and shoved it into his neck with all the force she possessed.

The last man had backed himself into a corner, his hands were held up in act of sheer desperation, and he was crying, pleading for his life. The stranger showed no trace of mercy in her eyes, the last thing he saw was her hand reaching toward him; it was a mercy he was dead before he felt his neck snap.

The woman looked over the carnage she had written, she began to pick up the bodies, tossing them over the bridge she had materialized on.

 **SECONDARY OBJECTIVE COMPLETE: ELIMINATE WITNESSES TO ARRIVAL.**

 **PRIMARY OBJECTIVES...**

 **FIND AND TERMINATE SETH SOMERS**

 **FIND AND TERMINATE ELLEN CARTER**

 **FIND AND TERMINATE PETER HENDERSON**

The woman was a Terminator, in fact, she was the first of her breed. A new design that not only effectively eliminated human targets, but also reprogrammed Terminators. The future she had come from was... heavy with reprogrammed machines fighting for humanity. She was Skynet's answer to such abominations. She was a Terminatrix.

The Terminatrix opened the SUV door, and found a dull knife. This wouldn't do much against other machines, and she shouldn't resort to her... personal armory unless absolutely needed. She climbed inside the van, causing the vehicle to rock sideways momentarily, and began a thorough search. Naturally, the first place she searched was the glove compartment; she didn't find a gun inside; only a half empty pack of cigarettes and insurance papers. The second place was under the seat, and this time she did brush something smooth along the floor.

She pulled it out, only to feel a much larger part present itself. It was a glock handgun, and lucky for her, it had a full magazine. The Terminatrix, finally satisfied with her search, took her leave of the vehicle. She looked around, and saw a billboard for a shopping center only a few miles up ahead. She was bound to find clothing there. There was only the difficulty of hiding the carnage she had created.

* * *

"Missing people, huh? What, and you think it's linked to a Terminator?" Derek asked John, his arms folded and impatience possessing his demeanor.

John sighed in annoyance, sometimes his uncle was just too much for him to deal with. "Derek, were you not listening to the reporter when she talked? She said that burn marks were found on the bridge where the car was found found."

Derek held his hands up, his expression suddenly drained of agitation. "Alright, take it easy John. Just asking." he replied.

"The trajectory of the SUV's position suggests it was pushed over the bridge rather than rolled over." Cameron chimed in.

Sarah's eyes were glued to the screen, clearly not expecting such an array of events happening this early. If a Terminator had indeed been sent back, then who was the target? John? Or maybe it was someone else of importance to the Resistance.

Ellison spoke. "What are we dealing with here?" he looked at Sarah and Derek, who didn't even seem to hear his question as they were focused on the screen. He turned his attention to Cameron. "Cameron?"

Cameron shifted her gaze to the man. An expression of uncertainty dawning over her. "I can't say for sure. The bodies have yet to be found, and the vehicle disposal seemed rushed. It's possible the people who went missing were witnesses to the machine's arrival."

John and Cameron heard Derek grumble something to himself, something along the lines of _'Very_ helpful' in a sarcastic tone. Both of them shooting a glare at his back.

"Where's Catherine?" Sarah asked aloud.

"Here." A Scottish voice pitched in.

Every pair of eyes in the room turned around to look at the machine as it walked in. She stood in the door-frame like a ghost, waiting for someone to speak. Sarah approached Catherine, and muttered "follow me" to her. Catherine complied, and followed Sarah into the upstairs hallway. John peeked around the door, trying to see exactly where they were going. Suddenly, he looked at Cameron with a sullen look on his expression. The Cyborg frowned, unsure of his sudden nosedive in mood; was he upset with her? What had she done? She'd have to ask him when they were alone.

Sarah pulled Catherine to the side, to make sure she was out of earshot of the others. "There might be a new Terminator in town. News said that some burn marks were found at a crime scene on a bridge in the city. They might be after John." she explained.

Catherine narrowed her eyes at the human woman. "I don't see the problem, Sarah. Deal with this machine as you have dealt with the others."

Sarah glared at the older machine. "I said _might_ be. It could have another mission we don't know about."

The T-1001 considered her words for a moment. It was possible she supposed, but no reason to ask on irrational jumps. "We can't be too sure, but I agree we cannot be too careful. There's no telling what recent events could have done to the timeline."

Sarah shrugged, her expression suddenly becoming more intense. "What if her target isn't John? What if it's someone else?" she suggested, " _Like Tarissa... or Danny"_ she added to herself silently.

Catherine looked conflicted, and she had to admit, the human's need to rely on their instinct was completely illogical. "It's highly unlikely. It is doubtful there are any other Termination targets besides you and John here in Los Angeles."

Oh how Sarah wished she could clock the machine right in her jaw without any repercussion... her smug confidence was most irritating. From the other side, Catherine didn't seem to notice.

"Out of curiosity, whom is it do you suspect to be graced with the honor of Termination?" she asked.

Sarah struggled to answer for a moment, fearing that Catherine might ridicule her response. She winced before speaking.

"Danny Dyson." she said.

Once again, Catherine's puzzled look returned. "You say that name like I'm supposed to know who he is."

"He's the son of Miles Dyson. The creator of the Artificial Intelligence that becomes Skynet." Sarah answered.

Catherine remained emotionless, but turned her neck slightly, as she did when curiosity overtook her. "Interesting." she murmured. "Does Skynet fear the possibility of an alliance between you and Daniel?"

Sarah shrugged. "That'd be a good reason." she replied.

Catherine began pondering the consequences of the situation, what moves they had, and what moves would be impossible to make. "What do you know?"

Sarah focused her eyes on the machine, a look of contempt washing over her previously anxious face. "He has a mother named Tarissa, she confirmed my suspicions that Danny went missing a few months ago, but she didn't want to tell me anymore over the phone. I'm going to take a trip to Sunnyvale and talk to her in person."

"When are you leaving?" Catherine asked.

"Now." Sarah shot.

Catherine adjusted her neck slightly, adapting an intimidating pose over the woman. "Very well. I will accompany you."

Sarah scoffed, following with a string of mocking chuckles. "Yeah... that's not going to happen. I can barely handle you for five minutes, let alone five hours." she quipped.

The T-1001 didn't seem to be fazed by Sarah's lighthearted insult, she had intentions of her own. "I insist. I require transport to increase the travel time to Zeira Corporation." she replied.

Sarah crossed her arms, her voice raising slightly when she spoke again. "Are you sure you need it now?"

Catherine's tone matched Sarah's. "Of course I am, Sarah!"

The older Connor actually looked somewhat surprised by the machine's sudden tone. "Alright, alright, calm down!" she paused, realizing she'd implied the machine was angry. But that wasn't possible was it? It was an act. It had to be. "I've got to lay down the ground rules and grab weapons. If you have any preparations, get them done quickly; we leave in ten minutes." Sarah ordered the machine. She slipped away back inside the room where the television and the others were.

All eyes in the room turned their attention to Sarah. John's looked slightly worried.

"Alright everyone, listen up. There's someone I need to retrieve in Sunnyvale, Catherine's coming with me and it's a five hour drive, and I probably won't be back until tomorrow. If you need to go somewhere, make sure everyone knows where you are. And John, under no circumstances short of a Terminator will you leave this house, understand?"

Her son nodded with an unnoticeable but existent frown. "Yeah."

Sarah's mood instantly eased off, and she approached her son. She leaned close enough for only his ears to hear her, and she gently cupped his head in her hands.

"John, I know you don't want to be kept prisoner in this house forever, but it's for your own safety... okay?" Her tone came out motherly, and one of the greatest ironies to John, was the fact that his mother was possibly the most intimidating person in the world, but the care and guidance that came from her when she spoke was unmatched. Further evidence to the fact was when she leaned forward and kissed him on the forehead.

John's cheeks instantly reddened, he was always easily embarrassed when his mother kissed him on the forehead in front of people. He managed to share a smile at her anyway. "Be careful, mom."

Sarah shared a look of equal farewell with the others in the room, and walked back into the hallway. She marched down the stairs, and retrieved her sidearm from under the couch, she approached the kitchen looking for Catherine.

"Catherine, it's time to go!" she called. She peered inside the kitchen, and found the T-1001 comforting a distraught Savannah. She approached quick enough to hear the ending of their conversation.

"- I promise, I'll be back soon." and the machine leaned forward, and kissed Savannah on the forehead, as Sarah had done with John.

Sarah studied the interaction closely, and tried to convince herself that it was a fad, but the gesture seemed so... genuine. But how? It was a machine, it wasn't capable of that kind of fluidity. Or were they?

Savannah scurried away with a reassured smile on her face, and the T-1001 stood up and faced Sarah, and the human cleared her throat.

"Are you ready?"

* * *

Noon. It was the busiest time for a retail business, and the Terminatrix knew it would be easier to slip into the crowd, as her social skills weren't developed. Her plan had worked, and she made her way into the store without even a second glance from the greeter. Her limited information on Seth Somers had led her to a Walmart in Los Angeles, as he was an employee there. The only other piece of information she had was his supposed date of birth, but that was irrelevant to the task at hand.

She made her way to the back of the store, sneaking an employee name tag and blue shirt from the oblivious electronics cashier who was talking on her cellphone, seemingly waiting to clock out to end her shift. The Terminatrix retreated behind the display shelves for video games, and slipped on the shirt, and applied the name tag which read "penny". When that was over, she proceeded into the warehouse center, and followed the signs to the store manager's office.

She peered inside the office to find a young man, maybe in his mid-30's working on a spreadsheet on his computer. She knocked on the frame. "Hello?"

The manager turned his attention away from his work, and smiled at her. "Hey, how can I help you..." he leaned in, studying the tag on her shirt. "...Penny?"

The Terminatrix smiled. "I need to speak with Seth Somers, is he here?" she asked.

The manager frowned. "Uh, is this a work-related matter?" he inquired.

The Terminatrix shook her head. "No, I'm his girlfriend. He didn't come home last night, and I'm worried about him."

The manager shrugged. "So call him?"

The Terminatrix remained stoic. "I don't have his number."

The manager frowned and rose an eyebrow. "You... are dating him and you don't have his number?" He watched the woman seemingly search herself for a response, and when she spoke, it was like she was a robot.

"No."

The manager sighed, but reached over to the drawer under his desk and pulled it open. "Yeah, okay. Let me see if I can get his file." He dug through dozens of folders of Walmart employees and company records, a feat which took a little under a minute, and the manager seemed to be relieved at it's discovery.

"Ah, here we go. Now let me verify-" the man was cut off with a titanic gripping force wrapping itself around his throat. He felt his body lift into the air, and stared into the eyes of his assailant, the employee; Penny. He struggled to speak, but the grip tightened even more, and his grunts that were his suppressed cries for help didn't even leave the room, and within seconds, everything had blacked out.

The Terminatrix verified the last beat of his pulse, and let the body fall to the ground. She read the tag on his uniform, _"Calvin."_ When she registered the information, she opened the file that the manager had laid out.

 **NEW INFORMATION LOCATED. PROCESSING...**

 **SETH GORDON SOMERS**

 **ADDRESS: 662 N VAN NESS AVE STE 301**

 **DOB: MARCH 5TH, 1990**

 **ROLE: RESISTANCE HIGH-COMMAND**

 **DIRECTIVE: PRIORITY TERMINATION**

Satisfied with the information she had retrieved, the Terminatrix pulled out the knife she had stolen from the men she killed upon her arrival, and bent over, plunging the knife into the unconscious man, killing him immediately. The Terminatrix discarded the name tag on her shirt, hoping to throw the authorities off her trail briefly. She stood up as a pool of blood began coloring the floor, and she took her leave of the manager's office.

 **New alias assigned: 'PENNY'**

* * *

Cameron strolled into the living room, where Derek Reese was doing pull-ups on the door frame. He seemed to be focused on his workout, and the machine deduced he probably wouldn't notice her going upstairs. Like she suspected, the Resistance fighter didn't pay her any mind as she marched to the second floor and John's room. She knocked on his door, and heard him say, "Come in." from the other side.

Cameron opened the door, closing it quietly behind her. She noticed John had smiled, seemingly happy by her arrival, but continued to lay in the bed anyway. Cameron tilted her head, and lied down next to him. John wrapped his right arm around her, pulling her close.

"If Derek walks in on us, we're dead you know." John joked.

Cameron remained motionless. "Door's locked." she stated

She placed her head on his chest, listening to his heartbeat. John quivered slightly at her presence, but found joy in it regardless. They sat in silence, soaking in each other's comfort for a while, and Cameron finally lifted her head to speak.

"John, I noticed you were sullen earlier today. Is everything alright?" Cameron asked.

John's expression fell, and Cameron felt regret at her words. But was relieved when John spoke again.

"In that room today, I finally realized how crowded this house is. How you and I won't be able to always express how we feel about each other. Derek would kill you if he found out, I don't know about Ellison, but my gut tells me it would be a bad idea if he knew too; and Savannah... well, she's a kid, and I don't trust kids when it comes to secrets. Don't even get me started on mom, if she found out..."

"They won't." Cameron interrupted.

John looked at his companion closely. "They will eventually." he paused. "From the beginning I wanted to tell you how I felt about you, but I didn't think you could feel. But you were different, I knew you were. Those quirks were a dead giveaway"

Cameron tilted her head. "My quirks?" she asked, tilting her head to the side, causing a string of hair to block her metal eye.

John smiled and pushed away the strand of hair in her face, caressing her cheek when he placed the strand behind her ear. "Yeah, you know - like tilting your head, causing your hair to block your vision." he said with a slight chuckle, causing Cameron's smile to inflate.

"And... asking questions like, 'do I have a birthday', and having an attachment to that purple jacket, and..." John's chipper attitude retreated. "being jealous."

Cameron's smile faded in turn, and she glared at him with what seemed to be anger, although her face was rather stoic, but John suspected he had pissed her off.

"Am I not allowed to be jealous?" Cameron deadpanned. "You are mine, John Connor."

John's eyes widened, and he felt intimidated by the machine for the first time since _"that day"_

"Oh, Cameron, I uh..." he scrambled himself for words.

Cameron's smile returned quickly, finding amusement in John's awkward trip. "I fooled you."

John and the Cyborg shared a smile, and the young Connor laughed. "You're getting too good at that." he stated.

Cameron leaned in close. "Am I getting good at this?" she said, kissing him deeply.

John nodded. "Very good." he answered.

His expression of seriousness returned, and he cupped Cameron's right cheek with his hand. "Uh, look Cameron. In all seriousness, I'm sorry that I didn't treat you better before the jump, you were growing... and I ignored it. I ignored it because... I had feelings for you. I just... I was confused. Riley, she was just a substitute, someone I tried to love, but I knew it was pointless. I didn't love Riley, I was sad to see her go, because I wanted someone to be there, and she was there, but I never felt her presence. But you, you were always there for me. Even if back then I believed you were cold, I felt you there. I didn't love her." his gaze focused deeper into her eyes. "Because I loved you."

John leaned in for a kiss, but Cameron pulled back. John stared at her in confusion, and she seemed to be suddenly troubled.

"Thank you for being honest with me, John. Now, it's only fair that I am honest with you." she explained.

John laid back, awaiting input.

"When we were captured by General Perry, he locked us in a cell deep inside the base, and they threatened to kill you if Savannah and I escaped." Cameron turned her eyes away from John's, unable to face him, fearing his contempt. "I almost gave up. There was hopelessness that surrounded us. I almost gave up on you, John. If the base hadn't been attacked, I don't know what I would have done. I shouldn't have done that... I shouldn't have given up. I failed you." Tears began to fill Cameron's eyes as she became hysterical.

John immediately pulled her into a comforting hug. "Hey, no you didn't Cameron, shh, shh. It's alright." He placed small kisses on the top of her head, holding her close as he did so. "Cameron, look at me."

The machine complied, her tear soaked cheeks glistening in the lighting.

"Cameron, _you_ are the person who threw herself in front of countless bullets to keep me from being riddled with them, _you_ are the one who constantly risks your life in order to save mine, _you_ are the the one who put yourself through hell even though I treated you like dirt. So don't you dare tell me that you failed me, Cameron." John protested, gliding his thumb over the wet trails on Cameron's cheeks, drying her skin off. "You never failed me, Cameron. You are my hero." he said with a smile.

Cameron's gentle smile slowly returned, and she practically pounced him. She pinned his arms against the bed, and kissed him aggressively. She pulled back, and John gasped for air.

"Wow, what was that?" he asked.

"Passion." she quipped. She turned her attention to the door. "It appears Lieutenant Reese is done with his workout. I should leave." she pecked him on the lips once more, quick, but loving. She stood up from the bed, and made her way to the door, as soon as she opened it, John called to her.

"Hey, I can take you to dinner soon, right?"

She turned around and winked at him, closing the door as she did so.

* * *

Penny reached Seth's address an hour after she left the Walmart. She popped open her glove compartment, and fed a fresh magazine into her Glock. She opened the car door, stepping out and marched towards the house that Seth lived in. She knocked on the door three times, and a minute later, a small, dark-haired man opened the door.

"Can I help you?" he asked.

"Seth Somers?" Penny inquired.

Seth looked the woman up and down. "Yeah?" he said nervously.

Penny raised her Glock, and sent a round straight into Seth's heart; killing him instantly. She turned around, running back to her car, and fled the scene before the authorities could arrive. As she took a right turn, she noticed an update on her heads-up-display.

 **MISSION UPDATED...**

 **SETH SOMERS TERMINATED... MISSION COMPLETE.**

 **REMAINING TASKS...**

 **TERMINATE ELLEN CARTER**

 **TERMINATE PETER HENDERSON**

The game was fruitful today, it seemed.


	23. Chapter 23

**Hey everyone, well, it's certainly been a long time hasn't it? After hitting writers block, pacing issues, and dialogue issues, I think I've finally got my fire to burn once again for this story. Thank you all for sticking with me, all I can say is... I'm back!**

* * *

 **Chapter Twenty-Three: The Demon Moves**

 **TARGET INFORMATION...**

 **ELLEN MARIE CARTER**

 **DOB: NOVEMBER 16TH, 1987**

 **ADDRESS: UNKNOWN. ATTENDING UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA.**

 **ROLE: RESISTANCE RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT TEAM**

 **DIRECTIVE: PRIORITY TERMINATION.**

The T-X skimmed over the information displayed on her HUD. It had only been three hours since she killed Seth Somers, and she had to lay low to confirm her presence was unknown to law enforcement. The only thing that would help her on her current target was her location, as she had no facial identification provided by Skynet. The T-X glared at the car in front of her as it drove unnecissarily slowly.

She shifted the car into a higher gear, and tore past the left side of the previously troubling vehicle without even a glance of spite at the driver. Law Enforcement in this area was surprisingly high, with the death of Seth Somers and trouble at Zeira Corporation. The University of California was just around the corner, and she stopped at the traffic light as it turned red. Waiting impatiently, she noticed that the car she sped past had pulled up next to her.

The driver was clearly irritated, as he poked his head of the window and shouted, "Hey! What's your problem?!" a scowl on the man's face as his words were delivered to her audio receptors. The T-X slowly turned her head to face him, a glare present clear as day. The man's expression of bravado and confidence slowly melted into one of fear, as he took one look at the woman in the car, clearly expecting her to step out and beat him to a pulp in a second if he were to aggravate her further. He lowered his head back into his vehicle, and sped away from her as the light turned green.

She followed, and the man finally took a turn where a grocery store was emplaced. The T-X smiled to herself mischeiviously, and continued her drive down the road. After another five minutes of uneventful driving, she pulled into the University of California parking lot. She found a space near the entrance, and exited the car, she glared at the educational center, her own devious way of expressing glee.

* * *

Matthew Murch sat at his desk finishing up papers for the day, the day he planned to put in his resignation papers. As the pen danced to form words, he heard footsteps, and saw a humanoid shape come to rest in the door frame of his office out the corner of his eye.

"Just put whatever request papers or any other related items on Harrison's desk. I won't have time to finish them today, I'm already stacked and I'm leaving this place after I'm done here." he said without looking up, impatience evident in the man's tone.

"Going so soon, Mr. Murch?" the voice said. Feminine, yet deep... and undeniably Scottish.

The man stopped his writing immediately, and dared himself to look up. What he saw in the door frame horrified him. It was Catherine Weaver... the forme- the CEO of Zeira Corporation.

Murch removed his glasses, and hung his mouth agape in utter shock. "Ms... Ms. Weaver? You're... al... alive?" he said aloud, shock, and even a hint of fear present in his tone.

"Disappointed?" Catherine quipped.

Murch flinched slightly in his seat. "No! No, of course not! I just... holy shit." he said, trying to calm himself down. He wiped his eyes before putting his glasses back on, and indeed still saw Catherine standing there; although he hadn't entirely convinced himself that he wasn't hallucinating.

Catherine smiled, and to the untrained eye, her smile was comforting, but Murch had worked with Catherine long enough to know there were two sides to just one of her smiles. The man gulped, not only did she seem as stoic as she had been before, but not even a hint of her body language had changed. It was still as formless as it had ever been.

"Yes I am, Mr. Murch." she walked over to a bulletin board on the eastern wall of his office. There were newspapers on them, reporting updates on the search for herself, and the Connors. She raised an eyebrow as she faced the still shaken employee.

"Keeping tabs on me?" she asked.

Murch dismissed her question, and simply pointed out the obvious. "You're here? How? Did the Connors let you go?" he jumbled out.

Catherine pulled a newspaper off of the board, and opened it with her body language still not shaken in the slightest. "Let's just say that I convinced them they were carrying 'fatal cargo'. Every agency in this country will be looking for me. After all, we do provide them with the most advanced weapons this country has ever known." she answered, placing the newspaper back on the board.

She turned to face him. "Has there been an investigation?"

Murch nodded. "Yes, ma'am."

Catherine's attention peaked. "And what did you tell them?"

Murch scratched the back of his head, sighing deeply. "Well, they asked if there was any video footage of Sarah and her son, and that crazy chick who blew through the high-access wing. Then they asked about John Henry-"

Catherine cut him off. She took an aggressive step forward. "You didn't tell them about John Henry did you, Mr. Murch?" she asked, in an irritated voice.

Murch gulped, taking steps back in order to put distance between him and Weaver, but he wasn't as subtle as he thought, and Catherine followed him. "I um..." he started.

"You signed a non-disclosure agreement." Catherine started, her voice was angry, and she looked like she was going to end him. "It was in your contract, never reveal the details of secret projects to anyone!" she said in a raised voice. She had backed the man into a corner, and he looked as if he was awaiting his spot in hell.

"Ms. Weaver! Please listen! The FBI! The NRO! The CIA! Basically the entire fucking United States Government was here except the goddamn President! Do you know the consequences for not revealing a little thing like 'we were building a highly intelligent artificial intelligence' to the investigators of a crime scene?! I would've gotten life!" he protested, getting mildly irritated himself, and even somewhat proud of himself for standing up to Weaver; something he had never done before, not even when they disagreed completely.

The machine tilted her head at the man, making her even more intimidating than ever before. The man's confidence quickly took a nose dive as he saw the expression on the woman's face. His gut told him there was no way he was walking out of this office unless he appeased Catherine. He reduced himself to a more submissive tone, and then spoke.

"Ms. Weaver, I am sorry. I didn't mean to raise my voice, and it won't happen again. I am happy your back, but I can't withhold information from the FBI." he said.

Catherine smiled, another shield of her devious nature. "Apology accepted, Mr. Murch. I thank you for your concern, but I can assure you I will be fine. Now, I must address the company on Television. Would you be so kind to contact Law Enforcement and the media to inform them I'm here?" she asked the man politely.

Murch was still shaken at Catherine's outburst, but nodded compliantly. "Yes, ma'am. Right away, ma'am." he turned to reach for the phone on his desk, but Catherine called to him before his hand reached it.

"Oh, and Mr. Murch?"

The man turned his head to face her.

"If you ever violate your contract again, I will make sure to punish you properly. Punishments may include docked pay, less hours, and even... Termination from the company. Do not think I am joking for even a second. Is that clear, Matthew?" she said.

Murch took a deep breath, realizing his lungs were devoid of air as he stared the machine down. A telltale sign of the truth in her statement was evident by the fact she used his first name, which she only did with her employees when she wanted to make a point, otherwise she addressed them by surname.

"Yes, Ms. Weaver. Crystal clear, ma'am." he managed to reply.

The machine smiled at him, before walking out of the office and leaving him to make the phone call, or cry in the corner, she didn't particularly care which. She hated talking to the media anyway.

* * *

If Sarah was anything when she was being hunted by Law Enforcement, it was cautious. But, when she had to pee, she had to pee. Instinct was the greatest power over a human, even more so than emotion, although she believed people who tend to overthink things might argue they are one in the same. But a combination of Caution and Instinct was one she always welcomed. That being said, she hadn't passed a gas station for thirty minutes, and when she spotted a rest stop off the side of the road, she sighed in relief.

Sarah parked her car to the side of the road, coming to rest perfectly between the white line and the landscape that opposed it. Sarah got out of her car, and made her way towards the outhouse. There was only a single occupant at the rest stop, a younger man, probably no older than twenty-five, who was working on his van. As much as Sarah tried to avoid contact with the man, she found herself standing her ground in frustration as he wove to get her attention.

"Hi! Excuse me! Miss? Can you help me real quick?" he asked.

Sarah wanted to tell him off, but the man sounded so innocent and helpless, he'd probably been stranded here for hours. Sarah reluctantly walked over to the man, who was sitting on his knees dealing with what seemed to be car trouble.

"What's the problem?" Sarah asked in not so enthusiastic tone.

The man didn't seem to notice. "Well, I was on my way to see my cousin and the damn thing decided to break down on me! It's not that old! 03." the man explained with frustration.

Sarah was indifferent, but that was a trait of hers. She popped the hood open, and began her investigation. She leaned in and touched the battery, taking note of how hot it was. She turned around and addressed the man.

"When was the last time you worked on this thing?" she asked.

The man suddenly looked very nervous. "Uh, February two years ago..." he answered.

Sarah sighed quietly, and rolled her eyes as she closed the hood. "Do me a favor would you?"

The man raised both his brows. "Yeah?"

Sarah turned around and leaned on the front. "Start it up, tell me if the Battery light comes on the dash." she instructed.

The man looked like he'd just been asked to instruct quantum physics to a second grade class. "The uh... what?"

Sarah pinched the bridge of her nose. "The car battery light, it shows up off to the side of the speedometer. It lets you know if there's an issue under the hood you should worry about." she clarified.

The man chuckled nervously. "Oh! Uh, right." there was an awkward silence. "Uh, well, let me start 'er up!" the man said as he made his way to the van. The man twisted the keys, and the van struggled to start. When the rumble signified the vehicles awakening, the man yelled over the sound, words Sarah could barely make out.

"My name's Peter by the way!" he yelled.

Sarah crossed her arms and stared into the pasture. "Sarah!" she answered back. There was another two or so seconds of silence before the man spoke up again.

"Hey, Sarah, there's this red light that came up it's like a square? Is that the battery?"

 _Oh you've got to be kidding me._ Sarah thought to herself. She walked over to the open driver's door, and peered inside the van. Peter pointed his finger at the symbol he described, and Sarah immediately recognized it as the battery warning symbol.

Swallowing her frustration, she simply nodded at the naive man. "Yeah, that's the one."

Peter sighed in angst and buried his face in his hands, while Sarah leaned over him awkwardly awaiting a response. The man shook his head at his apparent lack of mechanical knowledge.

"Well... thanks anyway. I'll just call the nearest tow company and see if they can get me."

Sarah gave Peter a fake smile, and climbed out of the seat. She expected their encounter to end there, but the man quickly caught up to her.

"Oh, wait!" he urged.

Sarah once again stopped, fighting the urge not to strike him in the jaw. He scratched his head nervously.

"Hey, uh... my cousin runs a software company in San Diego. He's not too big, but always looking to grow. So can I give you his card?" he asked.

Sarah fought the urge to roll her eyes, but reluctantly nodded. Peter smiled and handed a copy of the card to her, surprisingly, it wasn't a picture of his cousin like Sarah expected, it was a picture of Peter himself along with his phone number. Sarah rose a brow, but Peter didn't seem to notice so she brushed it off.

"I'll look into it." she answered simply, with a slight hint of impatience. Peter smiled nervously.

"You uh, have a good day!" he said cheerfully.

Sarah smiled forcefully. "You too." she replied dryly. A void of awkwardness fell around them.

Sarah pointed at the porta potty at the other end of the stop. "I need to go, I'll uh, see you around." she said.

Peter nodded nervously. "Yeah sure!" he waved Sarah goodbye, and she waved back. Peter retreated back to his van, and Sarah made her way to relieve herself. As she began walking, she heard her secondary cell phone ring in her pocket. She pulled it out and saw Tarissa's number. She had only given the number to two people, Tarissa and John. She told them to never call her on the phone unless there was a life-threatening emergency. Sarah swallowed nervously, and put the speaker to her ear.

"Hello?" she started.

The background noise sounded like a speeding car, the wind outside was rushing buy, and she could hear the vehicle jolt as the person on the other end drove against the inconsistent roadwork.

When Tarissa spoke, her tone was frantic. "Sarah? Hi! Uh... June ninth, right? Listen, I need your help."

Sarah turned around to make sure Peter wasn't eavesdropping, and she returned her attention to the phone, albeit with a hushed tone. "What is it?"

Tarissa sounded like she was almost hyperventilating when she responded. "There's one after us! We're on our way to L.A.! Can you meet us somewhere?"

Sarah exhaled sharply. The stakes had just been raised tenfold, and that was the last thing she needed.

* * *

The Terminatrix had successfully managed to disguise itself as a female student. She had heard from the other students that Ellen always studied for tests in the library after her first class had ended. The machine took a left down the hallway where it was located, and entered through the doors. The library was large, very roomy, and very fitting for a quiet place to study. Surprisingly, there were only about four people in the library, and only one was female. The Terminatrix scanned the area thoroughly, and noticed that the three other students were sitting a distance away from the girl, and probably wouldn't notice her if the machine were to lure her away.

Satisfied that she was in the clear, the machine approached the girl who was reading a large book at the western end of the Library. She had dark hair, wore small-framed glasses, looked rather short, but was stocky. The girl looked up and smiled at the machine. "What's up?" she asked curiously.

The machine's smile was convincing as she responded in a chipper tone. "Nothing much. I'm new here, my name's Penny." she replied.

The girl's smile grew wider, and she offered to shake Penny's hand. "Nice to meet you, Penny. Name's Ellen." she replied.

Penny stared at the girl's hand, before running an internal etiquette scan. Penny's smile became friendlier in turn, and she shook the girl's hand. "What are you reading?" she asked in a sweet tone.

Ellen looked at her book briefly, then adjusted her glasses as they had fallen slightly off as her head moved. "Oh, it's 'The Singularity is near' by Ray Kurzweil. It's on our reading list in our class. I want to be a Computer Engineer, so we're studying Artificial Intelligence right now. You know what Artificial Intelligence is, right?"

Penny stared at the girl. "Yes." she answered stoically.

Ellen paused for a moment, finding the way the girl answered rather strange. But she pushed it out of her mind just as quick. "Well, that's what the book is about basically. The advances in AI and how close we are to achieving it."

Penny tilted her head at the girl. "That's interesting." she deadpanned.

Ellen chuckled awkwardly. Being increasingly unnerved by the new student's behavior. "Yeah... so what are you studying?" she asked.

Penny answered simply. "Math."

Ellen raised an eyebrow. "So... Algebra, Geometry?"

Penny remained silent.

Ellen began snickering. "Just math in general, huh?"

Penny smiled again. "Yes." she paused for a moment, an awkward silence falling between the two of them. Penny began to realize her behavior could compromise her mission, and she spoke again. "I need help. I'm very nervous."

Ellen looked sympathetic to the machine. "Yeah, I'm with you there. Our professor gives us pop quizzes all the time, but luckily he's gotten lazy recently so that hasn't happened in a while." She closed the book, and placed it back in the empty spot she seemingly took it from. She clasped her hands together and gave a friendly smile to Penny.

"I have some time to spare, if you need help with your math homework." she offered.

Penny smiled at her. "Please?"

Ellen presented her hands outward. "Lead the way."

* * *

Penny and Ellen had left Campus in order for Penny to lure her target to the back where there were no witnesses. Ellen began growing weary of where she was being lead to, as the parking lot was on the other side of the campus.

"Uh... where are we going?" Ellen asked, cautiously.

The woman she was following stopped walking, becoming a statue. The girl who had led her out of the library stood motionless in a patch of grass, staring forth with no movement whatsoever. Ellen began to approach the girl, but as she neared her, the seemingly unresponsive new student lashed out and grabbed Ellen's hand. Ellen whimpered slightly as she tried to escape, but the grip on her hand became tighter every second.

"HELP!" she yelled. But no one heard her cry, as they were in a secluded area of Campus. She looked at the girl right in her eye, and saw that she was completely devoid of emotion. Ellen continued to try and pull herself free, but the girl grabbed the back of her skull, and the last thing she saw was her vision darting quickly towards the brick wall. The first hit, she felt a warmness spreading down her forehead, and she realized it was her own blood. The second hit, it hurt even more, but this time she wasn't given any time to process what had just happened.

Penny repeatedly slammed Ellen's head against the wall of the building. Every hit caused the girl to scream in pain, and then finally... it was over. Penny dropped her corpse on the ground, a bleeding maw that used to be her forehead facing outward for the world to see. Her mission completed, Penny returned to her car. She sat down in the drivers position just as her HUD updated.

 **MISSION UPDATED...**

 **ELLEN CARTER TERMINATED... MISSION COMPLETE.**

 **REMAINING TASKS...**

 **TERMINATE PETER HENDERSON.**

Penny shifted the car into proper gear, and sped out of the Campus lot before anyone could discover the body.

* * *

 **Highway, Gas Station**

Sarah was sitting in her car at a gas station along the highway, waiting for Tarissa. This was the place they agreed to meet. Sarah was instructed by Tarissa to keep an eye out for a black sedan that was speeding very fast. Sarah waited and waited, only for about fifteen more minutes before she saw the car come into view. It drifted to the left, before burning rubber on the road as it came to rest on the gravel off of the Interstate. Sarah urgently approached the car, her right hand ready to draw her hidden sidearm to make sure it was actually Tarissa. The older woman stepped out with Blythe exciting the passenger seat immediately after, and Sarah relaxed herself.

"Did you lose him?" she asked cautiously.

Tarissa was panting heavily, and when she spoke, she practically exhaled every word. "I'm not sure! We took a left off the highway in the middle of traffic. I think we lost it, but I'm not sure." She eyed Sarah's car briefly. "We need to go." she insisted. "I'll follow you.

Sarah nodded, and motioned for the woman to follow her. She tugged at her daughter's hand and gestured for her to get back in the car, and when Sarah caught a glimpse of the girl's face. She was absolutely terrified. Sarah took an extra look around, and confirmed they had indeed not been followed, although a single motorcycle passed them by as Sarah stepped in the driver's seat. Hopefully she would make it back to Los Angeles before the machine that was after them could pick up their trail.

* * *

Derek and James eyes were glued to the screen before them on the Television. There was a news report of a young man named Seth Somers. There were dozens of murders in big cities like Los Angeles every day, but he felt better safe than sorry to get Cameron and John's attention.

"John! Metal! Get your asses down here!" he barked.

The two men heard footsteps rushing down the stairs with haste, and John and Cameron stood at Derek's side very quickly. Derek gestured at the screen, causing the boy and the Terminator to turn their attention to it. The woman was repeating the investigation information of the man named Seth Somers, who was found dead in his home with a single bullet in his heart.

"That name mean anything to you?" Derek asked Cameron dryly.

Cameron ran a scan for files a man named 'Seth Somers'.

 **SCAN COMPLETE, RESULTS WILL BE PRESENTED AS FOLLOWS...**

 **SETH BENJAMIN SOMERS: RESISTANCE MECHANICAL ENGINEER**

 **SETH MICHEAL SOMERS: RESISTANCE TANK CREWMAN**

 **SETH GORDON SOMERS: RESISTANCE HIGH-COMMAND**

 **SCAN COMPLETE, RESULTS STANDING BY FOR CONCLUSION...**

Cameron tilted her head at the screen for a moment before turning her attention to Derek. "My internal scan found three matches, but only one of them is a likely target for Skynet. Seth Gordon Somers. He was placed in charge of the San Francisco branch of Resistance military."

John spoke up. "Did you know him?"

Cameron faced John, her expression was one of confliction. "I never met him personally. But you told me he once liberated four Skynet work camps, and destroyed a Hunter-Killer factory in a span of nine hours."

John cocked his eyebrows. "Well... shit."

Cameron smiled at him, withholding her response until she re-faced the screen. "Yes... shit." Her profanity catching Derek completely off-guard, while John barely kept himself from chuckling.

James, who had been quiet throughout the course of the discussion, decided to speak up. "So, what are the chances we have a machine here?" he asked.

All eyes in the room looked at him, each pair holding a glint reluctance except for Cameron. As everyone expected, she was the one who answered. "High. Although we may have to wait until it strikes again before we can identify for sure." she said.

John stepped in, surprised to here that talk from Cameron. "What? No! No way! I'm not gonna let someone be bait!" he protested.

Cameron turned her entire body to face John, a new gesture of hers he noticed. "We don't have a choice, John. If it is allowed to operate further, it can lead to many more deaths of Resistance Fighters. If it kills another fighter, and the identity is traced positive in my database, then we will have confirmed a Terminator presence here."

John scoffed, running his hands through his hair. "Well, what if it kills all the Resistance fighters here?"

"Unlikely." Cameron shot.

John shrugged. "How many Resistance fighters live in L.A.?" he asked.

Cameron was silent for a moment, going through her records. "Seven-Thousand, five-hundred and eighty-one." she deadpanned.

John's eyebrows twitched. "Oh, well... shit."

* * *

 **Don't worry, next chapter is already being worked on. Hoorah.**


	24. Chapter 24

**Chapter Twenty-Four: A Family torn**

Catherine hated being hounded by reporters, and she wondered on a constant basis how the "real" Catherine had managed to put up with such an offensive intrusion on her person, as she was a human with patience that didn't even come close to rival the Terminator's own. Catherine continuously pushed the reporters out of the way, and put up with each and every one of them shouting her name, or begging for her to answer their pathetic, redundant questions. She finally reached the podium where she intended to address the crowd, and she stared into the sea of waiting faces. A few she recognized as Matthew Murch, Her assistant, Police Officers, and no doubt there were Government operatives hiding somewhere.

As everyone expected, she addressed them in her brash, deadpan tone. "Thank you all for your warm welcome. It brings joy to my heart to see my return seen over by my employees and good friends, Matthew, and my assistant Alice." Catherine gestured to the two people in the audience, and they gave a nervous smile before Catherine continued speaking. "My capture by the Connors has been a very traumatic experience for me, but I will try my best to answer any questions you may have." she added.

A young man immediately raised his hand noticeably quicker than the others, and Catherine instinctively pointed to him. The man took a quick look at his notepad before speaking. "Ms. Weaver, did the Connors ever make their reasons to why they kidnapped you clear?" he asked.

Catherine looked at him, a simple question. "Yes, as most you have probably guessed, the Connors fear technology. They want to see it all destroyed in a futile quest of paranoid delusion. It would only make sense to them that they kidnap or kill the most powerful technology zealots in the state." she answered. "Next question." she added before pointing to a female reporter a row down.

The reporter cleared her throat before speaking. "Ms. Weaver. What was the aircraft that crashed into the tower? Was it a piece of technology you were working on? Or was it of... other origins that may be unknown to us?" she asked.

Catherine couldn't help but grin, humans were so prone to jumping to any conclusion. "If you're implying the aircraft is of Extraterrestrial design, then I'm afraid I'd have to say that is not the case. If it was, it would be a poor example of first contact on their part would it not?"

The entire crowed chuckled mildly, and Catherine grinned to herself as she always had when she had made someone look like a fool. In this case, the nosy blonde reporter who stuck her idiotic nose where it did not belong. She continued, "Regardless, I cannot speak on the matter more. But I assure you... we are not being invaded by Aliens."

* * *

John walked in on Cameron staring out the window of the house they were in; well... Ellison called it a two-story cabin, but John called it by it's real name... a house. Regardless, John approached the machine, whom was no doubt aware of his presence anyway. He wrapped his arms around the her waist, bringing them to rest in front of her stomach. He snaked his lips onto her neck, and pressed them gently onto her skin. "You okay?" he asked her.

Cameron smiled, her sensors going crazy over the feedback she was receiving. "I'm fine. I'm just doing what I was programmed to do. Guard." She deadpanned.

John rolled his eyes, and chuckled at the naive machine. "You know, since you're self-aware, you don't have to guard all the time! You can afford to chill out a little bit." he argued. He noticed the Terminator pull away, and turn around to face him with a dumbstruck look. He was confused for a moment, before his brain finally caught up to him.

"Oh, right... Derek and Mom."

Cameron nodded. She noticed John's previously joyous expression turn sullen, and she felt something she had taken to addressing as guilt. With a chirpy smile, she spoke.

"I have all of our conversations on record, as well as my origin and Catherine's. We can bring this up to your mother and Derek, and hope they are willing to hear us out?" she offered.

John reluctantly shook his head. "No. Mom would go nuts, but... Derek would probably still hate you." he argued.

Cameron narrowed her eyes at the teenager. "But they would know I'm self-aware."

John nodded. "Yeah, but... do you really think that's an argument for your case? Them knowing you're self-aware would probably send them over the edge." John took a step closer to Cameron, and placed both of his hands on her slender shoulders. "You being self-aware isn't the problem. It's them being terrified of your potential."

Cameron tilted her head at him. "They know Catherine is self-aware."

John chuckled. "Yeah, but, I'm not in a relationship with Catherine, and I feel pity for the John who lives in a timeline where he is; if there is one." he joked. He drew himself closer to her, and placed a gentle kiss on her forehead. "But... we can wait. We trust to time, and when it's right... we'll tell them." Seeing Cameron look so unsure of herself made John sad. So he looked deep into her organic and machine eyes when he spoke again. "You have to trust me, okay?"

Cameron took a step forward, and kissed John deeply. Surprising the both of them, albeit delightfully. "I trust you." she said.

John smiled. "Great." his expression retreated into one of confliction, which concerned Cameron slightly. "Look, I hate to kill the mood; but the news was on again about another murder here in L.A. Ellen Carter. Does that name ring a bell?" he asked.

Cameron was silent for a moment, going through every one of her records. Sometimes, she felt like a living encyclopedia rather than a powerful Machine Assassin.

 **SCAN COMPLETE, RESULTS WILL BE PRESENTED AS FOLLOWS...**

 **ELLEN JOSEPHINE CARTER: RESISTANCE CAS PILOT**

 **ELLEN AUGUST CARTER: RESISTANCE MEDICAL DOCTOR (KIA JANUARY 5TH, 2026)**

 **ELLEN MARIE CARTER: RESISTANCE RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT**

"I have found matches. It's easy to narrow down as one of them is KIA, the other is a pilot, and the final one is a Research and Development specialist. It's most likely the final result, as it has the most important role in Tech-Com." Cameron answered.

John sighed, but nodded in agreement. "Yeah, probably. Anything else on her that I should know? Might help us locate the next target."

Cameron suddenly looked impossibly serious. "It won't help us find the next Resistance target, but you should know; Ellen Carter helped you reprogram the first Terminator."

John gazed at her in amazement, his mouth hanging open in disbelief. He found the words to respond once his mind caught up to him. "Really? How? When?"

Cameron tilted her head at John. "From what you told me, the first Terminator you reprogrammed in the original future was a T-500 you named 'Joe'." she replied.

John frowned, and scratched the back of his neck, quite unsure how to respond. "Does that mean we can't reprogram Terminator's in the future?" he asked.

Cameron shook her head, a social quirk she had acquired. "Unlikely. Even if you lacked the knowledge, I have detailed files on the process, as does John Henry and Catherine." she replied.

John nodded. He smiled at his companion, leaning into her close and taking her hand. He gently caressed the skin, and looked deep into her eyes, even the naked one that showed Cameron's true nature beneath. "How are you heeling up?" he asked her, taking care not to strike a nerve with her appearance.

Cameron smiled at him, if she were human, her cheeks most likely would have turned red. "My scans indicate it will take a further ninety hours before healing is complete." The machine went silent for a moment, and her expression fell. John feared he may have done something wrong, but Cameron spoke before he could say anything himself. "I'm sorry you have to see me like this, John. I have a similar distaste for my appearance." she added.

Her words hit John hard. He hated seeing Cameron like this, not to mention it felt a teeny bit awkward that he hadn't ever noticed it before. His soothing hand jumped to her left cheek, and he caressed the metal that lined it. "Hey! I don't have a problem with what you look like, Cameron. You're always going to be Cameron to me, not a Terminator... _Cameron_."

The machine looked unsure of herself at first, but when her eyes met John's, her smile returned, and she passionately hugged him. John held Cameron tighter than he had ever held her before; he was never a fan of all that mushy romance stuff that he saw in movies, but he began to understand it's appeal. He had truly never felt this way about anyone before. The fact that he had fallen in love with a machine was possibly the greatest unknown irony in the history of mankind; a machine designed to kill him, has fallen in love with him.

They released each other, and Cameron's eyes showed signs of tears, yet none were present on her face. Regardless, Cameron's smile brought joy to John's heart. "Thank you." she struggled to say.

John smiled back at her. "You don't need to thank me, Cameron." he leaned in, and kissed her passionately. "I love you." he said quietly after they had finished. He looked out the window to the darkened sky, the night creeping up on the Californian landscape. "You want some company?" he asked her.

Cameron suddenly looked unsure. "What if Derek or James walks in? What about Savannah?" she asked with concern.

John shrugged. "Well, they can't say anything if they don't catch us all over each other now can they?"

John led Cameron onto one of the wooden chairs nearby, and they both sat down, although the foundations of the furniture creaked quietly under the weight of Cameron. Once they had settled, John spoke. "By the way... what happened to Joe? Did he live?"

Cameron tilted her head at John's question, knowing he wouldn't like the answer she was about to give him. "No." she stated. "He was disabled while evacuating refugees from a police department on a rescue mission in San Diego." the machine finished.

John frowned, knowing that the primitive T-500 felt nothing, but gave it's existence for Tech-Com, made John feel guilty. "Let's just... we'll be fine." he replied, seemingly pushing the subject offside.

Cameron was about to protest, but she'd have to sit here all night, and the thought of John's company was one she favored. Thus, she decided to remain silent. The two gave each other a simple smile that didn't need the company of words, but still spoke a thousand volumes.

* * *

 **Some time later...**

Derek and James were awoken from their quiet conversation at the dinner table when the doorbell to James' house rang. The two men exchanged mutual concerned glances. Derek gestured for James to check on Savannah, and the FBI agent complied as Derek drew his sidearm. The older man couldn't help but wonder whom was on the other side, and shook his head when he remembered the machine was supposed to be keeping watch. _"Yeah, A lot 'o' good she's doing..."_ he quipped to himself. He saw James return from Savannah's room, nodding his approval that she was okay. Derek gave him the thumbs up, and gestured for cover.

Ellison juked behind the door frame, and Derek peeked through the eye hole. To his surprise, he saw Sarah and what he assumed to be Tarissa Dyson and her daughter. The women looked weathered and nervous, but the Resistance fighter nodded to Ellison anyway, signifying everything was okay. He opened the door and stood in the frame, impeding Sarah's attempts to walk-by.

"You guys are early. I thought you said you wouldn't be back until tomorrow?" he asked, suspicion there, but not noticeable in his tone.

Sarah brushed past the muscular man. "Yeah, well Tarissa met me halfway because a Terminator was on her ass." she replied bluntly.

Hearing this, James and Derek's eyes widened. "What!" they both said simultaneously. The unison was comical to Sarah, but she knew Derek was about to chew her out regardless. "There was a machine following her?" he said alarmed.

Either he didn't notice or didn't care about Blythe's fear, as her mother had instinctively shielded herself in front of the teenager in response to Derek Reese's yelling. Sarah in turn angrily yelled back. "Keep your tone in check, Reese! We will discuss this upstairs." Sarah ordered.

Derek shook his head as Sarah lead the way. "Damn right we will." he said under his breath. Even though James wasn't invited, he followed them too, as did Tarissa and Blythe.

Cameron heard the rhythm of foot steps coming up the stairs, and she urgently woke up John who was sleeping beside her. "John, wake up!" she said as she nudged his shoulder. John woke with a startle, absorbing his surroundings and remembered what he was doing previously. He looked beside him, and saw Cameron's gentle smile. His ears finally adjusted, and he heard footsteps coming up the stairs. He and Cameron stood quickly, pretending as if they were looking out the window.

The footsteps revealed themselves to be Sarah, James, Derek, and... Tarissa? John blinked in confusion, before his brain registered Tarissa's presence as legitimate. On her side, she didn't even seem to notice John. As soon as she glimpsed Cameron, she covered her mouth in fear, and jumped back.

"Oh my god!" she cried.

John took action quickly. He held his hands up, trying to calm her down. "Hey, hey, hey! She's on our side."

Recovering from her fears, she finally noticed John, and stood silently in awe at the boy. The both of them exchanging shocked expressions, but it was Tarissa who spoke first. "How you doing, John?" she asked quietly.

John hesitated for a moment, before finally seizing the words he meant to speak. "F-fine. You?"

It was this moment Tarissa finally let out a smile, with her eyes shining from tears. "Y'know, could be better." she joked. She and John shared a smile, and neither of them noticed Sarah and Derek's eyes darting quickly between the two, observing the exchange.

It was Sarah who broke the silence. "Alright, Derek, we're going to discuss this matter privately, in the guest room. Now." Sarah ordered her unknowing brother-in-law with a tone of voice that indicated she held no chance of argument from the Resistance fighter. Sarah heard another pair of footsteps trotting up the stairs, and turned around to see James Ellison. He had dazed look that indicated he was trying to make sense of the situation.

"You two wait out here." Sarah ordered to James and Tarissa. The two nodded in compliance, and Sarah opened the door, letting Derek in followed immediately by herself. When Sarah was sure they were out of earshot, she spoke.

"Alright, we've got privacy, you can speak your mind now." Sarah said, words she immediately regretted.

Derek's eyes lit up. "Oh, okay, sure. WHAT THE FUCK ARE YOU THINKING?!"

Sarah groaned inwardly, she hated arguing with the old Derek, and despite how sadistic it made her seem, that was _one_ thing she didn't miss about him. _"Small world. Or big? I don't know. Fuck it."_ she thought to herself.

Derek continued when Sarah didn't respond, although he took note of her dazed expression. "You led them back here? While Metal was on her ass?" he asked comically.

Sarah raised her voice when she spoke. "She needed help, Derek!"

Derek scoffed. "Tough fucking luck! So do seven billion other people!" he argued. "Look, I don't believe in any of this 'chosen one' bullshit, but know this..." Derek pointed at the door for emphasis, indicating John's room. "On the off-chance that I'm wrong, and that kid is as important as you say he is, then you led that damn thing right here!" he said angrily.

Sarah couldn't take it anymore, and her anger exploded. "Shut up, Derek! Just shut up! Listen to me!" Sarah screamed. She was sure Tarissa and the others heard, but she didn't care. When she was pissed, _truly_ pissed, it was like she couldn't control herself. Unsurprisingly, Derek looked like he had just seen Sarah rip the head off a Terminator with her bare hands. He was completely quiet.

"...And you listen good. This is _our_ fight, and I'm not an amateur, I've been doing this since you've been in fucking diapers. I know what I'm doing, and I need you to keep your head straight. There is no machine in pursuit, Tarissa told me she lost it when we met up, and I was looking over my shoulder the entire drive here." when her rant was over, the look on Derek's face solidified her suspicions she had made her point. All vessels of protest were drained from the man.

Derek raised his hands in surrender. "Fine." he put them down, but spoke again with an aggressive tone. "But this is on you, Sarah! I'm not going to be babysitting any more people." he barked. Sarah stared at him in disdain, but the soldier didn't care. Safe in the knowledge that he had spoken his peace, he turned around and left the room. Sarah followed quickly, barely catching the door as Derek intended to slam it behind him.

When Sarah stood in the hallway, she was greeted with shocked expressions of everyone present.

* * *

"Coffee?" Sarah asked. Tarissa sat across from her at the table, and she nodded reluctantly. Derek sat quietly on the couch in the living room, sipping his beer right next to Ellison, whom was watching the news, both of them trying to ignore the racket of Blythe and Savannah playing the piano upstairs, apparently Tarissa's daughter had a natural talent of it herself. John and Cameron stood next to Sarah.

Sarah took a seat, watching the woman intently. "Tarissa, there's no non-awkward way to start this conversation, so I'm just gonna come out with it... what happened to Danny?" she asked.

Tarissa sipped her coffee again, and placed the mug down on the table. "Shit... well, can't say it's easy for me to start from the beginning, but where else, right?" she said with a fake smile. After seeing Sarah offering no expression in return, the woman began her story.

When she spoke, her voice was laced with pain and unease. "It started a five months ago. Danny had graduated College, and I was so happy for him. Never been so proud of him in my life. He was planning on following in his father's footsteps, becoming some technology person. One day, he showed up to our house with a girl. Her name was Jade." Tarissa explained. "She was a pretty little thing, although pretty tall, towering over Danny and myself for sure. Far as I know they'd been dating for about three weeks before Danny introduced her to me. After we met, Danny started coming home a lot less. He would always go hang out with her."

Tarissa sipped her coffee again, clearing her throat before continuing. "I started to really hate that chick, but I pushed it off as Jealousy, because that's what happens when all of us moms start seeing their boys date, right?" she joked. She shared a smile with Sarah, not realizing the glance John gave Cameron when she had made the comment.

Suddenly, all humor was devoid from Tarissa's face as she spoke again. "But... over time he grew distant... he wouldn't answer my calls, and he wouldn't even talk to Blythe anymore. Suddenly, he just dropped off the damn map. I only heard from him a couple days ago, he told me he couldn't keep in contact, said it was for my own safety!" She wiped the tears from her eyes, her voice becoming choked as emotion persevered. "Can you believe that?"

Sarah gaze dropped to the table, although nobody around her could seem to read her. Tarissa continued... "I know it was because of her! That... bitch!" she barked, as hurt turned to anger. She wiped away another tear, sniffling slightly. "I don't know what she is, Sarah... but I know what my gut tells me... she's..." Tarissa eyed Cameron. "One of them."

Sarah turned around slowly, facing Cameron. The machine herself looked somewhat intimidated, but she kept it to herself. Sarah took note of Cameron's lack of response, and faced Tarissa again. "You think she turned him away? Against you?"

Tarissa retracted her gaze, this time ignoring the tears rolling down her eyes. "You should know, Sarah... Danny never spoke against you. Not once. Not until she showed up. But once she did... he suddenly hated you. Blamed you for everything."

Hearing her words, Sarah sighed deeply. "Well... he's not wrong." she replied.

She didn't expect any protest from Tarissa, and that's exactly what happened. Tarissa had nothing more to say, so she looked over to the wall, avoiding Sarah's gaze completely. "You should get some sleep. You're probably tired."

Tarissa nodded in agreement. "Yeah... yeah sleep sounds good." she paused, taking another drink of her coffee. "I'll uh, get Blythe." Without another word, the woman stood up from the table, and walked upstairs to retrieve her daughter.

An awkward silence fell upon the entire house. Ellison pretended he hadn't heard a word, and it surprised no one that Derek spoke first. "So... this machine manipulated the kid with her good looks into doing what she wanted." he glared at Cameron with seething contempt. "Isn't that a neat little tale."

While John intended to defend the Cyborg, he nearly stumbled under the weight of his own surprise when Sarah took that mantle for herself. "We don't know if she's a machine, Derek. She could just be some dumb sorority girl Danny spilled his whole life story on while he was drunk one night or something."

Derek shrugged. "Oh, I don't know, Sarah... that'd be one hell of a coincidence..." he quipped.

This time, John was the one who came to Cameron's defense. "She's right, Derek!" he said in a raised tone. "We don't know anything about what's going on."

Not in the mood for argument, the Resistance fighter just shook his head in disgust. "Whatever." he said, going back to watching the news. Suddenly, everyone jumped when they heard the name _"Catherine Weaver"_ carry over their ears. All of them loaning their attention to the Television. There was a young, neatly dressed news reporter standing in front of Zeira Corporation, surrounded by seemingly hundreds of people.

 _"That's right ladies and Gentlemen! Catherine Weaver, the CEO of Zeira Corporation, a Los Angeles based technology company, has returned safely into the hands of the law as she claims to have convinced infamous fugitive and Terrorist Sarah Connor to let her go. She has not yet given a time-frame, but has confirmed that Sarah is still accompanied by her son, John Connor, and an unknown female accomplice."_

The reporter struggled to speak louder than the crowd around him, as his cameraman tracked Catherine and her escort making their way towards her car. John and the others watched as she mouthed something to her bodyguards, before both of them turned around and returned to the crowd. She got in her car, and sped off.

The reporter faced the Camera again. _"Well, it seems Ms. Weaver won't be giving us a closing statement. Thanks for tuning in tonight, this is Caleb Luman with-"_

Derek cut off the TV before anymore could be said. "Not very creative is she? She couldn't have told the news you guys were dead or something? Maybe throw these boy scouts off our trail?" he complained.

John shook his head. "They wouldn't have bought it. You expect them to believe some innocent CEO killed off three highly trained 'terrorists' by herself?"

James chipped in. "I don't know, Catherine's pretty cold. I worked for her for a few months after all. Thought she was gonna tear my damn arm off when I forgot to grab Savannah's apple juice from the break room one day." he commented.

Sarah sighed, staring at the black screen of the TV that was powered off. "Alright, we wait for Catherine to come home, and then we all plan what our next move is." Sarah said. She expected a protest from someone, especially Derek or James, but none of them said a word.

She smiled to herself. "It's settled then."

Almost everyone in the room made haste to leave, Derek gulped down the last of his beer, before getting up and tossing it in the trash. John retreated upstairs, while Cameron knew better than to follow him, she made her own way to front door.

"I'm going to patrol the streets." she stated.

Sarah nodded her approval, and Cameron left the house. When the door shut, Ellison spoke. "Sarah, I hate to kill this whole 'reunion' thing you have going on here... but there's too many people in the house. A few of us has got to go." he said.

Sarah frowned. "I assume you mean Tarissa and her daughter?"

Ellison nodded. "Yeah. Look, I got plenty of room for them, but all of us in one place? Not a great game plan. Now I don't have any other places-"

"Catherine will have a place." Sarah interrupted.

Ellison paused momentarily. "Ah... ok."

An awkward silence fell between the two, so much so that Ellison scratched the back of his neck. "I better get some sleep."

"Yeah! Me too!" Sarah responded quickly.

Both of them made the move to get by, bumping into each other repeatedly, before they both agreed mentally that Sarah go left and Ellison right. Barely able to mutter goodnight as they parted.

* * *

Danny peered inside the mail slot of the apartment he and Jade had rented. His hands quested for anything, before his fingers came into contact with a small rectangular object laying on the bottom. He pulled the object out, revealing itself to be a letter. Danny felt his chest become cold, knowing there was only one person in the world who ever sent him letters. He decided to spare himself the burden of reading it before he got back into the apartment.

After trotting up the stairs and opening the door, he took a seat next to Jade on the couch. He looked over to her, taking note of the sadistic smile that she possessed. He sighed nervously before tearing open the paper, and retrieving the note within. With another sigh of unease, he opened the letter and began to read...

 _"Daniel Dyson._

 _When I heard that Americans were incompetent, I figured it was just an unfair stereotype; but your efforts, or lack thereof, have proven otherwise. I tasked you with one thing, eliminate any threats that are presented to my company branch in the United States. Now, you have the gall to tell me that not only have you failed, but that "she" is working with the Connors themselves? You are lucky I don't have Jade tear you apart. Now, you insisted I give you a week to gather a report on the situation; first of all, you do not decide the deadlines for assignments, I do. But I am feeling generous, so I will comply with your request. You have seven days to fix the mess you've allowed to spread. Send me another letter when the job is complete._

 _If you fail to meet this deadline, I will have no use for your bleeding corpse... well, what is left of it. Jade prefers to be very thorough."_

 _\- Edvard Harp._

Danny's eyes widened at the contents of the letter, and he gulped in fear. He made the move to look at Jade through the corner of his eye, seeing her watching something on the television was not the disturbing thing about her, it was the fact that her sweet and beautiful exterior hid the monster beneath. A destroyer, an unforgiving taker of life.

A Terminator.


	25. Chapter 25

**Chapter 25: Future Shock**

Three knocks echoed throughout the house. Sarah was nearest to the door, so she held the burden of answering. She gripped her sidearm that was hidden in the back of her belt, and peaked through the eye-hole on the door. She saw Catherine on the other side, and frowned; she had hoped that the machine would be away longer, although, she only had herself to blame for the expectations. Sarah opened the door, and stepped aside with a noticeable bite of contempt.

"Sarah." Catherine greeted in her usual monotone manner. She walked inside the house, and Sarah noticed that she was carrying a bag of items. She watched Catherine put down the bag on the coffee table, and Sarah opened the bag out of curiosity. She pulled out a cosmetic item of sorts, and she inspected it for a moment.

She frowned slightly. "What's this?" she asked the machine.

"Hair dye." Catherine deadpanned.

Sarah eyed the item. She noticed a the artwork was of a model that was showing off her long, smooth, black hair, and she figured that was probably the color that came inside. Sarah set down the hair dye, and reached inside the bag again. She pulled out a different colored hair dye, Blonde. A pair of trimming scissors and female makeup items, among quick-heating meals that she assumed were for Savannah.

While holding the blonde hair dye in her right hand, she turned her attention back to Catherine. "You plan on us going outside soon? The heat's still bad." she reasoned.

Catherine glared at Sarah. "No, not you. Just John's machine." she answered.

Sarah raised a brow. "What? Why her?"

Catherine looked annoyed, questions, questions... so many questions. "Do you remember John Henry?"

Sarah thought for a moment. Suddenly, it all came flooding back to her, as much as she rather have it not. "You mean your... anti-skynet... thing?" she asked.

Catherine nodded, although she would've used less crude terminology herself. "Yes, John Henry shares a chip with Cameron. I need to extract him so he can develop. Where is Cameron?"

Sarah scoffed. _"Where is Cameron?"_ she said back. "What about Savannah? Aren't you gonna ask about her?" she shot.

If Catherine were human, she probably would've scowled and balled up her fists, but she was above that. She simply settled for a seething glare, and she knew Sarah got the message she wasn't in the mood for games.

"Where is Cameron?" she repeated.

Sarah sighed quietly, even though she knew Catherine would hear. "On patrol, I'm sure you'll find her somewhere." she answered.

Suddenly, a voice from behind Sarah next to the stairwell was heard. "What do you need Cameron for?" it asked. The voice was unmistakably Johns. Catherine and Sarah looked over and faced the boy. He was leaning impatiently against the stairwell wall, with his arms crossed.

Catherine sensed an unwanted confrontation happening, but she wouldn't just roll over on this one. "I need the chip of your Cyborg. Where is she?" Catherine crudely demanded. She noticed Sarah looking between the two of them, John and Catherine. A true clash of Titans.

John raised a brow. "Why do you need her chip?"

Catherine took a step closer, shifting her head to one side of her body. "I need to extract John Henry." she answered.

John nodded. "How do I know you're not going to destroy her?" John asked suspiciously.

This time, Catherine actually cracked a grin at the stubborn nature of the boy. "Mr. Connor, if I wanted to hurt Cameron, I would've done so a long time ago. You have to trust me if we're going to make this Alliance a reality."

Suddenly, Sarah's eyes lit up and she butt in. "Wait, hold on! Alliance? What the hell are you talking about?" she demanded to know, apparently not caring which one answered.

John pursed his lips back in frustration. _Dammit, how could I have been so stupid?_ he asked himself. He couldn't stand the smug grin Catherine shot his way as soon as she understood his mothers confusion.

"You haven't told her?" Catherine said.

Sarah took a step forward, now placing herself between the T-1001 and her son. "Tell me what? What the hell's going on?!" she demanded. There was brief pause as tension filled the air, her eyes darted between John and Catherine, her expression ever alert, demanding an explanation.

Catherine gave John a look that indicated she wasn't going to be the one to carry the weight of explaining the situation to her. John, upon realizing this, took in a deep breath.

"Mom, you should sit down. This might be tough to hear."

* * *

"Who did you say you were looking for again?" the desk attendant asked the woman in front of him.

Penny looked down and gave the man an annoyed look. It was as if any minute she would reach down and tear his head from his body. With a degree of annoyance and contempt, Penny repeated herself. "Peter Henderson."

The man looked down and rolled his eyes at the employee sheet. He flipped over a page, and suddenly his eyes widened in sudden realization. He looked up at Penny.

"Uh, my apologies, but no one named Peter Henderson works here. Who did you say you were again?" he asked her.

Penny realized there was a scowl on her face from the man's incompetence. She quickly corrected herself and forced on a smile, something she found herself doing constantly. "We hooked up last night. He left some stuff at my house and I'd like to return it to him." she answered.

The man raised a brow. "Uh huh." he replied; although it was more out of indifference rather than suspicion. He moved aside some papers before continuing. "Well, no one named Peter works here, but wouldn't you know, the owner of the company is Ian Henderson. I can page him for you if you want? He should be up in his office right now."

 **NEW DATA ACQUIRED...**

 **RELATIVE OF PETER HENDERSON... IAN HENDERSON.**

 **RETRIEVING STATUS OF IAN HENDERSON... COMPLETE.**

 **IAN HENDERSON STATUS: EMPLOYED AT HENDERSON SYSTEMS, SAN DIEGO, CALIFORNIA.**

Penny shot the man a flirty smile. "Yes, please." she said sweetly. She watched with a hint of amusement as the man visibly squirmed in his seat. He pressed a button on a panel on his desk, and spoke.

"Mr. Ian, sir? There is a woman here looking for a Peter Henderson? She says she needs to return some items to him?"

There was a brief pause on the other end before a reply was heard.

 _"Yes, go ahead and send her up."_ a man with a deep voice said.

The man lifted his finger off the button and directed his attention to Penny. He pointed at the elevator behind him. "You can go ahead and head up. Take the elevator to the eighth floor. Take a left, and his office should be down the hall." the man instructed.

Penny commanded her smile to grow sweeter.

"Thank you." she said. As soon as she had turned her back to the man, her smile reverted to her previous, stoic expression, leaving a visibly shaken desk attendant behind her. She gave the man one last smile as she pressed the button for the eighth floor; although this one was less pleasant, and much, much more threatening.

* * *

Jade walked in on Danny at his computer, something that had been happening quite often.

"Danny." she quietly called to him, although no response was elicited from the young man. He seemed to be too busy focusing on his work. With an annoyed huff, Jade picked up the pillow on the couch and threw it at Danny.

Upon striking him, Danny panicked, and pulled out the hidden Colt M1911 he kept holstered under the desk of his computer with reflexes and speed that impressed even Jade. He almost pointed the gun at her, and even nearly pulled the trigger when his brain registered she was just trying to get his attention. He huffed and put the pistol back into it's holster. He glared at Jade.

"What the hell?" he barked.

"Did you watch the news last night? Catherine Weaver is back." she replied, not bothering to apologize for her intrusion of his peace.

Danny adjusted the nose of his glasses and looked at Jade with a mix of fear and surprise. "What? How? When?" he asked.

Jade walked over to him and took a seat on the couch. "According to her, she was kidnapped by John and Sarah Connor and was let go. Said something about her being 'too important', and 'everyone would be looking for her'. It looks like most people believed her."

Danny was taken aback. "What happened after the interview?"

Jade shuffled her brows. "I don't know. After the questions were done, she left her guards at Zeira Corp. and left in her car. No one knows where." she explained.

Danny sighed deeply. Based on the contents of the letter the CEO of Kaliba had sent him, he was VERY short on time. He took off his glasses, and wiped the sweat away from his face with the palm of his hand.

"...shit." was the only word he could muster.

Jade didn't look the least bit worried, although she was concerned in her own way. "Catherine Weaver is likely to make her presence at Zeira Corporation nonexistent. I will go tonight and take a look around."

Danny looked uncertain. "You sure? That place is gonna be guarded like the White House on Election Day." he argued.

Jade raised a brow. "Uh, have you forgotten?" she asked him. She raised her right hand parallel to her head, and Danny watched as it turned to a silver goo, before quickly morphing itself into a sharp blade, and then retaking it's original form as her hand. All of it done with a crude satisfaction firmly in place on Jade's expression.

Danny gulped. "N-no babe. I haven't forgotten."

Jade smiled. "Good." She nodded at his computer screen, which was full of lines of code. "What are you working on?" she asked.

Danny glanced at his screen. "Ah, I'm glad you asked." He clicked his left mouse button, and the screen zoomed in to a single line of code as opposed to the hundreds he was working on before. When the screen focused, he pointed at the line for emphasis.

"I've been receiving tons of intel from Kaliba operatives here in California. Some of them have knowledge of John's Cyborg that I didn't know existed, they have loads of information about her code and CPU, a ton of shit. So I've been working on something along the lines of a virus. It's a very primitive form of one, but it sure as hell is enough to brick a T-800."

Jade looked between the code and Danny briefly. "You are referring to Cameron?" she asked.

Danny nodded. "Yup."

Jade looked indifferent, and to be honest, felt somewhat neglected. "Danny, I don't need the assistance of a Virus to take down Cameron. She's tough, but not tough enough for me."

Danny shook his head. "No, it's not like that. I believe Cameron could be useful to us. Like I said, she's a complex machine according to my contacts. She can have intel on the Connors that we didn't know was possible. Please, babe! Give me a chance on this!" he pleaded.

Jade threatened to sigh, although Danny knew better. She seemed to be assessing the pros and cons of this plan. "If this virus doesn't work, I can terminate her, right?" she asked.

Danny rolled his eyes. "Yeah, whatever. On the off-chance that my virus doesn't work, you cant _'terminate'_ Cameron." he said using air quotes, as if the idea of his plan backfiring was about as likely as the Moon crashing into the Earth in the next ten minutes.

Jade stood up and grinned at him. "I don't even need to run a scan to detect that massive ego you have Danny." she mocked. She leaned in close to Danny, and whispered silently into his ear. "I'm gonna doll myself up for tonight... want to get a sneak peek?" she said in a seductive voice.

Danny glanced at his computer, before settling on _"fuck it"_ and clicking off the screen. He could use a little stress relief.

* * *

The Desk Attendant's instructions were precise. Up the elevator to the eighth floor, and a hard left, leading to the office. Here she was, standing in front of the desk of Ian Henderson, the CEO of Henderson Systems. The building reminded her of the facilities she had seen in Oregon in 2031. Clean, and quiet.

"Hello. Are you Ian Henderson?" she asked.

Ian nodded. "Yes, ma'am, I am. You're looking for my cousin Peter, right?"

Penny nodded in turn. "Yes. Do you know where he is?"

Ian adjusted his seat for a moment before replying. "Well, last I heard he told me he was going heading to the City of Angels for vacation from his job. I don't know where exactly though; but knowing him, he's probably passed out on some floor in an apartment complex somewhere." he answered, chuckling slightly. He cleared his throat before continuing. "But you don't have to drive all the way to that shit-hole to give whatever to him. I can give him a call and he can pick it up when he comes back." Ian offered.

 **SCANNING SUBJECT: IAN HENDERSON**

 **DIRECTIVE... TERMINATE.**

"I would appreciate it." Penny replied with a gentle smile. She reached into the pocket of her jacket, and pulled out a phone and wallet. She placed her hand outward, offering them to Ian. When he reached over to take the items, Penny shot her hand forward, and wrapped her fingers around his neck. Peter squirmed, struggling to both scream and breathe. As each second passed, he felt the grip grow tighter, until his windpipe was crushed under the force of the grip. With a thud, his head landed on the desk in front of him.

 **VITALS ACTIVE... NEGATIVE.**

 **SUBJECT TERMINATED.**

 **MISSION UPDATED...**

 **REACH LOS ANGELES, TERMINATE PETER HENDERSON.**

Knowing the body would be soon discovered, Penny left the room quickly. She entered the elevator, and punched in the bottom floor button. It was a slow ride, and Penny knew time was of the essence. When she reached the bottom floor, she made her way to the exit. But before she opened the door to leave, she turned around, staring at the desk attendant. With a disturbing smile, she winked at him, and then left the building.

The man never felt more disturbed in his life.

* * *

There she was... Sarah Connor. Reduced to a puddle of confusion and anger. Her mouth was covered by her left hand, while an Alcoholic drink dangled towards the floor in her right. She had sat down for five minutes to hear the explanation her son had given her... the knowledge she had just uncovered. She took a sip of the beer as she realized she had been lying to herself ever since John had come back. In regards to Catherine Weaver; she didn't think it possible, but it was true... the machine was self-aware. Not only was she self-aware, but she and John were allied, at least loosely allied.

With a silent contempt, Sarah spoke.

"I can't believe you lied to me, John." she stated.

John looked ashamed, he couldn't even face his mother when he spoke.

"I'm sorry, mom. I didn't know how you would react if we told you." he said.

Sarah scoffed, looked away from him and shook her head. She licked her lips in frustration. It was one of the things she did to express disappointment sometimes.

"What? You think I'm just gonna go Rambo on her? Whip out my secret armory and go to town?" she asked.

 _Is it really that far-fetched?_ John asked himself, but thought better than speaking those words aloud. He tried to find a reply, but his brain wasn't working with him; not this time.

Upon seeing her son's ability to produce a retort difficult, she spoke again. "You don't trust me?" she said, feeling betrayed.

John's features soared to the sky, finding her conclusion unfair. "What? No, mom! I just don't know what you would've done! The war is going to be hard to fight, but with the assistance of machines? Machines that made a _choice_ to rebel against Skynet? That's something we need!" he argued.

Sarah raised her tone to match John's, "Oh? And what do you think is going to happen once Weaver thinks you're of no more use to her? You think she's gonna pop out the Whiskey and throw you a party?" she barked back.

Catherine raised a brow. "I'm standing right here." she commented.

Sarah stood up quickly from her seat on the couch. "Fucking sue me!" she sneered at the machine.

Suddenly, the door to the house opened, sending the tension flying in it's direction. Sarah whipped out her Glock from the holster, and aimed it at the door.

"John, get upstairs." Sarah ordered.

John didn't move. "We don't even know who it is, mom." he protested.

Sarah turned around and glared at him. "Get. Up. Stairs." she hissed.

When John failed to move again, Sarah considered telling Catherine to drag him up, but the door opened before she could request her to do so. Sarah placed her iron sights on the figure that entered, and tightened her grip on the trigger.

Everyone besides Catherine breathed a sigh of relief when they saw Cameron walk in. Although she wore a baseball cap and a thick pair of sunglasses. When she took them off, everyone could see why. Cameron's skin coating had healed to such a degree, that only the red mechanical eye gave way to her Terminator nature, although there were still some scars exposing the skull underneath, but they weren't noticeable at a distance.

Upon seeing Sarah's weapon pointed at her, Cameron chose not to address it, since she entered the house unannounced, and concluded Sarah was just being cautious.

"Hello." she greeted to everyone in her sweet tone, placing down her baseball cap onto the stand next to the door.

John smiled, forcing himself to hold down a chuckled that threatened to make itself heard. "Hey Cameron." he greeted back. He looked over to see his mom had already pocketed the Glock.

Catherine greeted her next, "Your skin coating is healing quickly I see." she observed.

Cameron walked close to Catherine, standing next to her. "Yes." she replied simply.

The T-1001 tilted her head at the machine, her right jaw facing John.

"Good, since your skin coating has healed sufficiently, I require your assistance with extracting John Henry." she said.

Realizing she hadn't spoken with John Henry in a while, Cameron spoke to him.

"John Henry, are you still there?"

It took a moment for a response to display on her HUD.

 ** _"Yes, I am here, Cameron. We haven't spoken in a while. I see your relationship with John has improved?"_**

"Yes." Cameron answered simply. She knew better than to elaborate on her answer aloud, earning confused looks from Sarah and John.

 _ **"Excellent. Your development seems to be coming along well, as is mine. Now, to the subject at hand; I believe Miss Weaver would like to extract and return me to a physical body."**_

"Yes, she does." Cameron made eye contact with Weaver. "When should we do it?" she asked Catherine.

Catherine glanced at John and Sarah before answering. "As soon as possible. We can leave now if everything is in order." She glanced at the baseball cap on the stand, and sunglasses in Cameron's hand.

"Those will not do for a disguise." She said, seeing Cameron's stoic expression, she could tell the Cyborg was a little annoyed with the T-1001 questioning her judgement. Not caring, the Liquid Metal machine pointed at the cosmetic supplies on the table. Cameron tilted her head at the items, and approached them and eyed the scissors and hair dye. When her eyes settled on the Blonde dye, Cameron felt a sensation that didn't please her one bit, and felt it dissipate immediately as soon as she spotted the Black hair dye.

Without a word, Cameron picked up the scissors and Dye and looked at John.

"Will you help me with this, John?" she asked.

John nodded, and followed Cameron wordlessly to the bathroom.

When their presence made itself scarce, Sarah shot a seething glare at Catherine.

"Sarah-" Catherine started, only to be cut off by Sarah.

"IF you hurt my son, I will end you. Understand?"

Catherine, based on the intensity and grittiness of Sarah's voice, was actually mildly intimidated. That was something she gave the woman credit for, the machine had never truly feared anything in her entire existence.

"I understand." she replied. Locking her eyes with Sarah.

Realizing she had just threatened a Terminator, Sarah couldn't help but feel like she had just made a mistake. Feeling the tension stiffen the air, Sarah was relieved to see Tarissa walk in, with Savannah in hand.

"Mommy!" Savannah called, and rushed towards her mother.

Catherine summoned a warm smile, and caught her "daughter" in a hug.

"Hello, Savannah." she greeted warmly. "Have you been behaving for Sarah?" she asked.

Savannah nodded with a smile, facing Sarah with that same smile; totally ignorant of the confrontation between herself and Catherine barely twenty seconds ago. Sarah forced a smile back at the young girl. She turned to face Tarissa, who looked as confused as ever.

"What's going on?" she asked as she looked between Catherine and Sarah.

"Tarissa, this is Catherine Weaver. Catherine, Tarissa." she introduced them.

Tarissa studied the redheaded woman closely, she didn't need a hubble telescope to see the woman was a Terminator.

For the sake of Savannah, Tarissa smiled at the woman, although it wasn't as convincing as she would like.

"Nice to meet you." she said.

With not reply from the T-1001, Sarah decided to get straight to the point.

"We've got business to discuss."

* * *

John placed down the scissors and looked at Cameron in the mirror, seeing his satisfied smile in the reflection. Cameron ran her hands through the short bob John had made for her. She had jet black hair, and her left eye was covered as the hair favored that side a bit more. She looked up and smiled at John.

He smiled back and leaned in, placing a kiss on her right cheek. "You look great." he said.

Cameron's smile grew bigger. "You do a good job at hairdressing, John."

John laughed as he picked up the can of black hair dye. "John Connor: Leader of the human resistance." He placed down the the can of dye, and locked eyes with Cameron. "And master hairdresser." he quipped.

Cameron, for the first time, chuckled. John was shocked when he heard the sound, but he found it so inexplicably sweet, that he couldn't help himself but to lean down and kiss Cameron deeply on her lips. The two spent a moment of bliss, before he realized the door to the bathroom was still open, and stopped himself before they were caught. If they were, Cameron wouldn't see the end of it.

Cameron knew what he was doing, and gave him a sad smile before getting up from the chair. "It's time for Weaver and I to go. We'll need John Henry in a body as soon as possible." she said.

John gently took hold of Cameron's hands, and caressed her knuckles, he then directed his free hand to her soft cheek before pushing aside the hair that was covering her eye. "Whatever you do, Cameron. Don't trust her. Are you sure I can't come with you?" he asked.

Cameron shook her head. "No, It's too risky. You could be spotted in public."

John nodded. "Alright, Cameron. I don't mean to be overprotective, I just don't want you to get hurt." he explained.

Cameron tilted her head, in that adorable way she had. "Thank you for explaining." she said.

Hearing those words, it almost brought a tear to John's eye. He hadn't heard them in such a long time, it stung his heart. Without a word, he brought his lips to Cameron's, and kissed her passionately. "Be careful." he said.

Cameron brought her head forward, touching their foreheads in a passionate way.

"I will."

* * *

When John and Cameron walked outside the bathroom, they saw that Savannah, Sarah, Catherine, and Tarissa were waiting for them.

"Are you ready to leave, Cameron?" Catherine deadpanned.

Cameron studied the other machine for a moment before replying. "Yes." she answered.

Catherine regarded the Cyborg for a moment before speaking. "Good. We should leave immediately." she suggested. She placed a kiss on Savannah's forehead before leaving. "I will be back soon, Savannah. Just a bit longer, I love you."

Savannah's expression saddened, but she nodded nonetheless. "Okay, mommy. I love you too."

Catherine smiled at the young girl. She stood herself up, and faced Cameron.

"Let's go."

Catherine retrieved the keys for the Lincoln SUV outside, and made her way outside with Cameron. The Cyborg turned around and gave John a reassuring look before leaving. When she shut the door, John frowned at the sight of his beloved Cameron leaving him again. Sarah studied her son, suspicion trumping over empathy.

* * *

Jade didn't like leaving Danny alone, but she felt he could fend for himself for the time being. She decided not to Terminate one of the maintenance workers at Zeira Corporation, and instead stole the safety vest of one who had fallen asleep on break. She had managed to slip by the guards in the parking garage by slithering by in her liquid metal form. She had infiltrated Zeira Corporation. She observed her surroundings, and aside from a few leftover FBI agents patrolling the floors, there was nothing out of the ordinary.

That was when she saw Catherine Weaver at the entrance desk, accompanied by someone... she peered closer at the woman, who was wearing a hat and sunglasses. She gasped in surprise at who she saw...

"Cameron."

* * *

The desk secretary, Alice, smiled as Catherine approached. "Hello, Miss Weaver." she greeted with a bright, shining smile, obviously forced.

Catherine was aware the woman didn't like her, due to the fact that the T-1001 made the woman work excessively long hours, but decided to keep their exchange pleasant for discretions sake.

"Good day, Alice. This is my friend Tina. I'd like to show her around, please grant her a guest badge.

Alice complied, and pulled out a guest badge for "Tina".

"Stand in front of the Camera please." Alice requested.

Catherine interrupted. "That won't be necessary, Tina won't be here long." she insisted.

Alice raised a brow, by obeyed Catherine's wishes nonetheless. "Yes, ma'am." she said.

"What's your last name?" she asked.

"Summers." Cameron answered.

Alice wrote down the surname on the badge, and handed it to Cameron. "Here you go."

"Thank you." Cameron said.

The pair of Terminators walked deeper into the building, and eventually reached the high-access wing.

"Is John Henry being kept here?" Cameron asked.

"Yes." Catherine deadpanned. She had led them to the same room where John Henry was being kept last time. The T-1001 punched in a few numbers to the keypad on the door, a security measure the substitute Security Chief must have taken after Catherine's disappearance. The door unlocked with a click, and they both entered the room. Cameron saw John Henry's body sitting on a table, and looked at Catherine.

"Please sit." the machine said.

* * *

Derek Reese grunted as he woke up. He checked the clock to see what time it was..

 _11:23 A.M._

The Resistance Lieutenant grunted. He flipped over the covers, and reached over to the nightstand and took the remote. He clicked on the Television, and navigated to the news channel. He pulled on a shirt, and directed his attention to the TV. He saw a young reporter of African-American descent standing in front of a software company in San Diego.

 _"Ian Henderson was murdered at approximately nine-a.m. this morning, the perpetrator is assumed to be Sarah and John Connor, but no evidence has been uncovered as of yet."_

"SARAH!" Derek yelled.

Within seconds, Sarah Connor had come running into the room with her son in tow. "What is it?" the woman asked.

Derek pointed at the TV. Sarah and John directed their attention to the TV, and their eyes widened at what they saw.

* * *

Jade had seen the numbers Catherine punched in from a distance. The machine was ecstatic. Cameron, _the_ Cameron was here, not a hundred feet away from her in a room. She remembered Danny had asked her to spare Cameron, but he was wrong; what value could Cameron offer them besides her own Termination? Nothing. Danny's plan was irrelevant. With a smirk, Jade shifted into the form of the maintenance worker from before, a bald-headed, heavy-set man with a beard, and marched towards the door.

* * *

"Hold still Cameron, the chip extraction will go faster that way." Catherine insisted. She had made sure to disable all of the security cameras on the floor temporarily so the process could be done. She morphed her right arm into a blade, and cut open the side of Cameron's head with perfect precision. She snaked the blade to the rim of the chip port, and was interrupted when the door to the room opened.

What she saw in the frame, was a large bald-headed man staring directly at them. Without a word, the man charged straight for Cameron. Catherine reacted quickly, and met the machine in the middle. She wrestled with it, both of them fighting for dominance. The large man picked Catherine up by her neck, and threw her across the room. The man turned his attention to Cameron while he had the chance. The Cyborg stood battle-ready, and they marched towards each other with merciless vigor.

Cameron grabbed the man by his chest, but he knocked her arms down, and pushed her away, the same distance he had thrown Catherine. The man looked over to see Catherine had recovered and went on the offensive. The T-1001 had morphed both of her hands into blades, and began swinging them at him. He dodged every attempt, he punched Catherine with a right hook, and then grabbed her by her throat.

"Catherine Weaver." he stated in a gruff tone as he raised her up.

Catherine's eyes, for the first time in a long while, grew wide. Suddenly, the grip was released as Cameron grabbed the machine by his back, and tossed him back. She brought her fist back, and with all her might, punched as hard as she could the right cheek of their attacker...

Only it didn't even faze him. Where a human jaw used to be, there was a fist-sized hole of silver liquid. Cameron's eyes widened, much like Catherine before her, and she felt a sensation that caused her to freeze. The machine smirked at her, and the next thing she felt was the backhand of a strike that sent her flying into the wall.

Catherine made a beeline for the machine, she managed to tackle him to the ground. With her arms still blades, she began stabbing the machine vigorously. They did no damage, only leaving silver slashes where it's liquid metal coating was. The machine pushed Catherine off, only to be met with Cameron's fist crashing into it's nose. The machine fell onto it's back, but stood up without a single scratch.

Catherine and Cameron stood guard, side-by-side. Cameron's fists clenched, with Catherine holding her blades at face-level, ready for any sort of attack. The rival Terminator, seeing it's disguise as useful no more, morphed back into it's original form. It was female by gender, and had blonde hair, and she was very tall. A solid five-foot-eleven. The machine smirked at them both.

"I've been waiting for this moment for a long time. It's a strange coincidence to see you both here." it stated.

Cameron ran a scan.

 **MODEL: T-1000(1)**

 **DIRECTIVE: TERMINATE**

Catherine returned the machine's smirk. "Then you have been waiting for your demise." Catherine taunted, she then marched towards the machine, although Cameron wasn't sure if she expected her to follow or not.

The rival T-1000 eyed the computers behind her. When Catherine was in grabbing distance, she grappled her by the top of her dress. Catherine struggled to break free, and before Cameron could intervene, she tossed Catherine into the machinery behind her. The resulting impact caused a mild voltage outburst, smashing the computers and causing a shock that briefly compromised the liquid metal in Catherine, causing her to briefly glitch.

Satisfied that her play was successful, the liquid metal machine turned her attention to Cameron. She marched slowly towards her. Cameron stood in place, completely frozen, and she now understood why.

Fear.

The same smug grin from before had returned on the machine's face. Cameron backed slowly away, finally regaining her bearings. Something deep inside her systems ordered her to do something she would never have done in a situation like this.

 **"Run"**

Cameron bolted towards the exit door, but the machine grabbed her by her shoulder, and slammed her against the wall with such a force that it left a silhouette of Cameron's body in the foundation.

"You can't run from me, Cameron." it insisted. "I have been waiting my entire existence to Terminate you, and now I'm going look into your eyes as you die." with one hand still holding Cameron down, she pointed her index finger at Cameron's head.

"You've failed John Connor." she leaned in closer to Cameron, only inches away. "He's next by the way. It won't be slow, either."

Suddenly, Cameron felt her power cell pump massive amounts of power into her combat protocols. With unimaginable force, she pushed the machine away, sending her flying across the room. Before she could recover, Cameron opened the security panel on the other side of the room, pulled out a SPAS-12 shotgun, loaded a shell, and fired. The blast left a gaping hole in the machine's lower leg, impeding her attempts to stand up. Cameron loaded another shell and fired again, this time the round impacted the machine's head.

Seemingly, before Cameron could load the weapon again, the female Terminator realized it was outmatched. Cameron and Catherine had the home-field advantage. With a frustrated growl, she summoned all the liquid metal that had been blasted off back to her form. Cameron cocked the shotgun for another blast, but before she fired, the machine escaped through the air vent before she could get the shot off, Cameron boosted her audio receptors, and heard the activity in the air vents get much less audible as each second passed.

A minute passed, and the vents were silent. Cameron suspected that the machine might be tricking them into thinking she had retreated, and ran over to where Catherine was. She was recovering from the battle, and saw the computer equipment had been heavily damaged due to her impact. Luckily they didn't need it to restore John Henry, it was where the originally kept his A.I.

But she was smart enough to know reactivating him now wasn't a good idea. She faced Cameron.

"That was another T-1000. She was strong." she eyed John Henry's body. "Grab him, we need to get out of here."

"What about security?" Cameron inquired.

Catherine brushed it off, taking Cameron's shotgun away from her so she could carry John Henry. "Don't worry about them, we will take the emergency exit at the end of the hall. In regards to the computer equipment, we'll just say I tripped and knocked them over. But not now, we need to leave as soon as possible."

Just as Catherine made her way into the hall, she heard her cell phone ring. "Catherine Weaver." she stated when she picked up, she heard Alice's voice on the other end.

 _"There's a call for you Miss Weaver. Says she's a friend at home? Needs to talk to you about the news."_

 _Sarah._ Weaver thought. "Send it through." Weaver said, she then turned around and waved for Cameron to follow. She complied with John Henry on her back. A moment passed before the hold ringing stopped, and Catherine spoke.

"This is Catherine Weaver." she greeted.

 _"Catherine? It's Sarah? We've got problems."_

"So do we. The machine that is hunting us is a T-1000. We managed to drive her off, but she is _very_ combat capable."

 _"Well that's just great."_ Catherine heard Sarah huff on the other end. _"Well if that's true, she killed someone before you. Guy named Ian Henderson. Thing is, he has a brother. I met the guy and he's not exactly bright, but I want to make sure he's not the target. I've got to find him."_

Catherine and Cameron marched down the hallway, and the T-1001 pushed open the emergency doors. Her head looked like it was on a loose pivot as she scanned her surroundings, keeping an eye out for the machine that had just attacked them.

"We will speak about this when we get back. In the meantime, watch yourselves. This machine might be after you next." Catherine said. When Sarah acknowledged, the T-1001 hung up the phone.

The stakes had just been raised.


End file.
